The Amnesiac
by The Ever Smiling
Summary: A man can't remember who he is... And someone's out to kill him. *Squinoa*
1. Default Chapter

A/N: I don't own FF8 (it belongs to the good people of Squaresoft) nor have I ever played it. This is a fanfic that was sparked one night when I could not fall asleep and My copy of 'The Bourne Supremacy" was on the floor, therefore, I owe credits to Robert Ludlum because I wouldn't be able to come up with this idea. (Oh my God, I sound like I just won an Oscar. How pathetic). Anyways, please read and review. Oh yeah, I'm half of TEAM US (The people that wrote "8 Sober Nights") Hint, hint. Anyways, on with the story!  
  
The Amnesiac  
  
Introduction  
  
It was 4:30 am and no one knew what happened. Somewhere on the coast of Dollet, the sounds of bullets being fired and someone crashing into the waves bellow the cliff cut through the crisp night air like a knife.  
  
The body began to float further and further away.  
  
The men standing on the cliff were satisfied and began to walk away. They thought that if the bullets did not kill him, the rough tides, the fall and the sea monsters would. What they didn't know was that out in the sea, someone would find him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: How's that? Pretty short, I know, but hey, like I said, it's an intro. If you like it, review it. If you don't like it, review it. All I'm saying is that you absolutely HAVE TO REVIEW IT IF YOU GOT THIS FAR, OR ELSE. (I don't know, but I will think of something.) 


	2. Operation

A/N: I still don't own FF8 or the characters, but I'll tell you when I do.  
  
  
  
Chapter One  
  
"Some crappy weather we're having, huh?" A fisherman complained to his friend. His yellow jacket was drenched from the rolling waves crashing on the deck. His hat was not doing much of a great job at keeping his hair dry. His bangs stuck to his face and the droplets of water hung in his beard, shining in the moonlight. His stomach hung over the waistline of his pants. He was a chubby fellow and loved to swim, but lately, he did not get the chance to because of the "crappy weather", or at least that is what he said.  
  
"Yeah." Replied his friend. He looked somewhat like his companion, save for the fact that his jacket was blue and he did not have a beard or an over-hanging stomach. He took out a cigarette from his back pocket, not seeing the wave coming from the right side of the boat, and lost the entire packet to the ocean.  
  
"Even the ocean thinks that you're going to die from that. Only Hyne knows why you still smoke. You'll get lung cancer or emphysema." Said the man in the yellow coat. He looked out into the ocean and spotted something unusually large, even for a fish.  
  
"Hey, you see that?" He asked his friend, pointing to the large creature clinging onto a board.  
  
The red-coated fisherman squinted his eyes, searching the waves for what his friend saw. "No, I don-.. Yeah, I do. It looks like a man's body. He looks kinda dead though., wait, he moved! Get the net! We're bringing him in. He could be rich or very important or maybe he's wanted and there's a big, fat reward!"  
  
"What if he tries to kill us?" The first man squealed.  
  
"Oh be quiet and stop being such a wuss. He's barely even conscious. Looks like he's been shot a couple of times. Look! He moved!" The man in the red coat was deeply in debt to a Galbadian soldier all because of a stupid bet he placed on the Dollet Dolphins winning against the Trabian Igloos in a silly basketball game.  
  
"No, he didn't, dipshit! That was a wave, idiot!" The first man complained.  
  
"Just go get the net!" The second man ordered, slightly annoyed at his companion. 'That guy can be such a wuss!' he thought.  
  
They got the net, threw it in the ocean a few times and missed, until on the third try, they got him. They hauled him on deck and picked him up and brought him to the doctor downstairs. Hopefully, he wasn't high yet.  
  
The man they pulled out was in horrible shape. He had a bullet in his skull and thankfully, it was thick and had not penetrated his brain. However, the possibility of the bullet cracking the skull was always an available option. There were two gashes in his chest, both parallel to one another. There were some rocks in his back He had a compound fracture in his knee, meaning his bone was sticking out.  
  
They took the body downstairs to the doctor. The man was in luck; the doctor was neither high nor drunk.  
  
The room smelled of alcohol and smoke from the previous three nights. It was small, cramped and messy. The fluorescent light in the ceiling that was blinking on and off; it was going to burn out soon. There were chairs in two out of four corners. In between them, there was a liquor cabinet filled with vodka, scotch, rum, whisky, a couple of bottles of wine and a case of twenty-four. In another corner, there was a sink and a basin. In the far corner was an operating table. Bottles that had once contained liquor were strewn across the floor. There were a few cracks in the ceiling and the water from above seeped through and dripped all over the place.  
  
As for the doctor himself, well, that was a different story. His salt and pepper hair was wet, disheveled and stuck to his face. His eyes were sapphire and almond shaped. He had great posture for an alcoholic that sat on barstools until the wee hours of the morning drowning out his sorrows and seeking comfort in the alcohol. He had an unusual allure about him, almost saying that he did not need the world and the world did not need him. But right now, someone needed him.  
  
"Put him on the table." The doctor instructed.  
  
The fishermen did as they were told. They gently set the man on the table on his back. The rocks dug deeper into his back and his subconscious responded to the pain, releasing a loud cry of pain. The fishermen gasped in shock. They thought he was dead.  
  
"Place him face down then," the doctor instructed. This was not going to be an easy task. The rocks were not helping the situation. The bullet in his head needed to be treated first, but the subconscious mind of this young man was not allowing him to. The two fishermen were feeling nauseous at the sight of the compound fracture.  
  
The doctor began to "work his magic" on the young man. The two fishermen took that as their cue to leave. _________________________________  
  
"I wonder what happened to Squall. I haven't heard from him since he left, TWO WEEKS AGO!" Rinoa spazed at her friend Selphie.  
  
"Don't worry about him. Squall's a big boy and can take care of himself. Besides, he loves you and would tell you if something went wrong. He wouldn't worry you like that. Besides, we all know that stress can give you a heart attack." Selphie said, trying to ease her friend's anxiety.  
  
"Oh, gee, thanks. I feel SO much better now. You're suggesting that. Wait a minute, don't women produce hormones that protect them against that stuff until menopause?" Rinoa questioned.  
  
"Oh yeah! Oops!" Selphie blushed., "Well, I guess now I know I failed that part. I'm screwed!"  
  
Rinoa just laughed at her friend. She was glad Selphie was here. Only Selphie could make Rinoa under such stressful circumstances, even if it was about Squall.  
  
____________________________________  
  
SOMEWHERE IN THE OCEAN, CLOSE TO DOLLET  
  
The doctor noted his curious findings in the young man. He had already removed the bullet and the rocks and replaced his bone. As he tended to the gashes in his chest, a strip of film caught his eye. Carefully, he removed the film and wrote in his journal, "The young man continues to intrigue me. Just today I discovered a piece of film in chest, just on top of his rib cage. The bullet in his head did not cause any severe damage to his brain but may possibly cause amnesia." He patched up the young fellow and let him rest. In time he will wake up on his own. When he is ready.  
  
The doctor walked over to his liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of scotch. The doctor preferred his scotch on the rocks, but there wasn't any ice, save for the ones that kept the fish frozen. He had tried that one time, but he nearly chocked on it. He decided that becoming Chocking Charlie on a boat full of morons who did not know the Heimlich maneuver was not the brightest idea.  
  
He sat in a corner sipping his scotch and quietly observing his patient. He began to stir, shouting out a few words, slurring them. 'Incredible! He isn't even drunk!' the doctor thought.  
  
"Riiiinnnnnolaaaaaaaaaaaa!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: There we go. The first actual chapter. Yeah, I know that my Author's Notes were longer than the introduction. That's why it's called an "Introduction" say it with me now, "In-tro-duc-tion"! Good! *Watches as the few people who were reading leave* Goddamnit! Oh well! Good Bye! 


	3. Waking up

A/N: Second chappy within two days! Woohoo! Go Me! Anyways I still don't own FF8 yet, but pretty soon I will, that is after I get a Play Station console. (Watch me use more big words!) Anyways, on with the fanfiction!  
  
  
  
Waking up  
  
  
  
Another week came and went. Rinoa was an even bigger bundle of nerves. She still had not heard from Squall since he left. It was three weeks and there was nothing Selphie could say or do to calm her down.  
  
  
  
Selphie had grown very concerned about her friend. She was failing her classes, daydreaming about God knows what and stopped eating. She knew something was very wrong because it was like her friend was nothing more than a walking corpse. 'I guess what they say about soulmates being separated from one another for a long time. What I didn't know was that three weeks qualified as a long time. But then again, there's a lot I don't know." She thought to herself. But Squall and Rinoa were more than just soulmates, they were lost souls reunited after centuries of searching for one another.  
  
  
  
Rinoa was having a very hard time dealing with the situation presented to her. She did not know where Squall was, what he was doing or if something had happened to him.  
  
  
  
Rinoa was failing all her classes. She even received an F in gym. Well, actually, that was logical. She stopped eating and her body just did not function on an empty stomach. She was barely able to keep her eye lids open because she spent most of night staring at the phone, waiting for it to ring. When it did, she got her hopes up, only for them to come crashing down again at gravity times a hundred. The voices of her friends and family tried to sooth and ease her mind. Often she would fall asleep leaving them worried and yelling "Hello?" in the phone.  
  
  
  
The thought of Squall running away with another woman or him being dead had crossed her min one too many times. Dreams at night would haunt her and they were always the same. And she would wake up earlier and earlier than the night before. They always happened in the same fashion.  
  
  
  
Squall would be running on the coast somewhere wen he comes to a cliff and gets shot a few times and then falls over into the rough tides. Every single time, before he crashed into the waves, he would open his eyes and whisper "I love Rin. I'll never forget you." And then he would fall and resurface clutching onto a board. Then she would wake up, heart racing and drenched in cold perspiration.  
  
  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
  
The young man awoke on the table. He was alarmed and did not recognize his surroundings. He jumped at the sound of an old voice originating from one of the corners. Corners?  
  
  
  
"Good afternoon." The doctor said, "My name is Doctor James Fisher and you were found out at sea, half dead and in an even worse condition than you're in now."  
  
  
  
"The young man stared at the doctor. He couldn't remember what he was doing out at sea or what had happened to him. He tried to remember basic things like his name or age even, but he could not remember. Do I have family? Friends? Children? No, I don't have children, that's impossible. Am I married? Engaged? Do I have a girlfriend?  
  
  
  
"Don't be afraid, young man. What's your name?"  
  
  
  
"I. I .. I don't remember," He stammered.  
  
  
  
"Well, it seems like my suspicions were true. You were shot in the skull, but luckily for you, you have a thick skull and it did not pierce your brain, or else you wouldn't be alive right now. However, fragments of your skull broke off and pinched part of your brain; your memory bank."  
  
  
  
"My memory bank?" The young man questioned.  
  
  
  
"You were shot, old chap. You were patched up, been healed, and slipped into a coma. Tell me, is there a mental banana peel that you slip on to fall into a coma? Of course there isn't!" The old doctor began to laugh at his own joke.  
  
  
  
The young man stared curiously at the old doctor. He was a toddler staring at a strange animal.  
  
  
  
"Well, I can see you didn't come equipped with a sense of humor, huh? Enough of that. Now, when I was patching up your chest, this caught my attention. Naturally, I took it out because I know that I don't have one. Someone planted this into you." He held up the piece of film, "Now, I happen to have film projector, if you want to see what it says."  
  
  
  
"Yes. It might offer some clues at least, if not answers to the millions of questions coursing through my brain." 'Old chap' replied.  
  
  
  
"Good choice, young sir." The doctor said.  
  
  
  
" 'Old Chap' maybe, but not 'Young Sir', ok?" the stranger ordered. He did not know where the hostility towards the nickname 'Young Sir' came from.  
  
  
  
"All right, old chap. Now let's see, how do you work one of these again?" The doctor asked. He had ulterior motives. He wanted to see what this young man knew. So far, he was nothing short of an enigma. Who knows, maybe he is Casanova himself.  
  
  
  
The film was all ready in the proper slot. The young man quietly got up and plugged the cord in the outlet.  
  
  
  
The machine sparked to life, generating healthy noises. The whine of the motor could be heard in the silence as the two men observed the screen and gasped at what they saw  
  
  
  
________________________________  
  
  
  
Zell and Irvine sat together, waiting for the headmaster. They stared in silence at the painting above the desk. It was an 18th century oil painting of a woman that looked a lot like Rinoa and a man that resembled Squall so much that it scared them. The man and woman sat beside one another and smiled. The woman held a tea cup in her hand and the man held a cane with a lion on the top. Under it, there was a plaque that read, "James Levy and Charlotte Smith. June 24th, 1756".  
  
  
  
"Charlotte and James look like one of our couples today, don't they?" Zell asked, breaking the silence.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, they sure do. I wonder if they sucked as much face then as they do now." Irvine joked. He did not expect an answer and was shocked at the answer he got.  
  
  
  
"Most likely, and may have gone even farther." Zell smirked. The two men burst out laughing and did not hear the headmaster walk in.  
  
  
  
"Ahem. Gentlemen! Ten Hut!" Cid shouted, hoping to have more success this time than the previous attempts.  
  
  
  
He was not a patient man and despised being forced to wait. The two SeeDs knew that and immediately straightened up.  
  
  
  
"Sir, yes sir!" They shouted as they stood up and stomped their feet.  
  
  
  
"At ease, boys." Cid replied, "Now, as you know, Squall Leonheart has been on a one week assignment for three weeks. You know as well as I do that he could've pulled it off in three days. Now, he's MIA and we need a search party sent out to find him. His last location was on the coast of Dollet. I need you to go out there and find him, what happened and what's taking him so long. His girlfriend has been worried about him for the past three weeks. She said that the last time she heard from him was."  
  
  
  
"Three weeks ago." They all said simultaneously.  
  
  
  
"So, you've heard, huh?" Cid questioned.  
  
  
  
"With all do respect sir, Rinoa is our friend and not hearing from Squall in three weeks has made her behavior change. She happens to be failing a lot of her courses, has not eaten a single bite for the past week, has not slept since last Monday and has been walking into a lot of objects; doors, people, garbage cans, vending machines, walls, and anything possible, really. I feel that she requires a break, or a temporary leave of absence so that she can straighten out her head and get some rest. Her condition is scaring her friends, family, even the students and teachers, Sir" Zell said suggestively. He was really concerned for her and Squall. He never knew that someone being absent from another's life bring someone into a trance like state. Rinoa had fallen so deeply in love with Squall that his absence had a massive impact of her.  
  
  
  
"Yes, Zell. I agree. I have seen her walking in the halls. She looked like she was looking straight through the objects she walked into. Fact is, I saw her walk into the vending machine and she didn't even notice that her right arm was bleeding because of this sharp piece of plastic sticking out. Only her friend noticed for her and rushed her to the infirmary to get patched up. If her fried wasn't there, it would have led to severe bleeding. She almost hit an artery. We'll send her home this evening to her father's. I'll inform her instructors of the situation." Cid agreed. The poor girl was always in a trance and it was not doing her any good to let her stay here.  
  
  
  
"Thank you sir." Irvine replied. Despite the fact that he had not said anything before, he fully agreed with Zell and Cid. Often at night, he would be sitting in the kitchen, eating his midnight "snack" (of course) and Rinoa would walk in, horror struck. When he asked her what was wrong, she would shrug him off, saying that there was nothing wrong, even though she was drenched in cold sweat and her eyes were red from crying. It was clear to him that she was in misery because she was worrying so much about Squall to care about what was happening around her.  
  
  
  
"Now, as for the situation in Dollet, you will be leaving Garden an 0600 hours and every night around 1800 hours, but no later than 1900 hours, you will call me and give me a status report. In that report, I want the time, date, location, progress and all the clues you have gathered regarding what happened to Leonheart, not who Cindy Lou screwed at the local in. Got it?" Cid ordered.  
  
  
  
"Yes sir!" The two SeeDs replied.  
  
  
  
"Good. Dismissed!"  
  
  
  
The two men left, both heading for the dormitories. They walked in silence, both thinking about what they would find. They were prepared to do anything and everything possible to find their missing comrade, and above all, their friend.  
  
  
  
__________________________________  
  
The screen read a few words that neither man wanted to read, especially the doctor.  
  
  
  
Doctor Fisher had gotten in trouble with the law a few times, and on both charges he had gotten off with a severe warning. The information was overwhelming. He passed out, leaving the young man's reflexes catch him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Eheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh! Eh! A cliffhanger! What does the piece of film say? What's so bad about it that mad the good doctor pass out? What will Zell and Irvine find in Dollet? Who is the young man? WARNING: IF YOU GET OFFENDED EASILY, STOP READING HERE AND REVIEW THE FIC! IF NOT, PLEASE CONTINUE. (I think you've already figured out who 'Old Chap' is, but still, it's a question that some people need to answer with it being writen for them. I'm not implying that any of you do, but you never know.. Hell, I don't even know most of you!) Anyways, that's it. Please review. Thank you. Over and out. See ya later Houston.  
  
  
  
P.S. Who knew that writing was such hard work? 


	4. The Piece Of Film

A/N: Hello! Like to take the time to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I started to write this on Christmas Eve at 21:20 and I'd like to say that if, perchance (Another big word for ya, Sam. Be happy. My neighbor doesn't even know what that means, but then again, this is the same guy that got 0% in art ^.^) I do not post this immediately, well, that's because I'm flupping tired (yes, that is my word)! Anyways, once again, I must remind you that I still don't own FF8 because it belongs to someone more important that I. Also, I still haven't played the game, so criticize me not. Oh yeah, if, perchance, I construct the Final Fantasy World, please don't kill me! Anyways, on with the "show"!  
  
  
  
  
  
The Piece Of Film  
  
  
  
  
  
The young man looked at the words on the screen, thinking that there was a mistake. There was no way he was what it said.  
  
"Seifer Almasy. Balamb Garden, 17-20-24-03."  
  
  
  
The young man did not think he was a "Seifer" type guy. Nah, he looked like someone else. Definitely not an Almasy. The Almasy clan was a snobbish group and thought that they were better than everyone else. Even people with amnesia would know that.  
  
  
  
The doctor awoke after an hour had elapsed. He looked back at the screen and jumped a little but remembered not to pass out this time. He wiped the perspiration on his brow and immersed himself into deep thought. He could have thought that there were only three Almasys alive: Michel, Seifer and Sophie. He also knew that Seifer was a blond and not a brunette. He also knew that Seifer was at least six feet tall and this young man was fours inches off. After all, he was almost the same height as Old Chap over there and the good doctor knew he was at least 5'8". There was also the matter of fact where Seifer Almasy had green eyes, not icy blue.  
  
  
  
"Seifer, huh?" The doctor said disbelievingly. This was definitely not Seifer Almasy or else he was screwed beyond belief. If he was in trouble with the authorities, well, his carcass might as well be roasting on a spit right now because he would rather die than talk to that brute again, much less lay eyes on him again.  
  
  
  
"I guess so. Are you sure you pulled that out of me?" Old Chap asked.  
  
  
  
"Yes I did. Under the skin, on top of your sternum, or in simpler terms, where the two gashes are in your chest." The doctor answered his patient.  
  
  
  
"Well, I can honestly say that the name 'Seifer' sparks a few emotions and short flashes of war, but none of me answering to it. On top of that, it only generates hate and resentment." The young man answered.  
  
  
  
"Alright. I can honestly say that you are a regular John Doe. You don't remember who you are, but you do remember who you happen to dislike and battle. Most likely you actually are a SeeD, but from which Garden, I haven't the slightest clue. You do have a certain demeanor about you that says you have experience on the battle field and your body says the same things. You have scars all over, not just the one across your forehead." The doctor said.  
  
  
  
John Doe (A/N: Just for some of you, John Doe, Old Chap and 'the young man/fellow' are one and the same.) shot a curious eye at the doctor. 'What the Hell were you doing, looking all over my body? You didn't rape me, did you? I mean, yeah, they say that men out at sea become accustomed to living without women, but one might think you were desperate, having an-' he thought whilst he awaited the good doctor's response.  
  
  
  
His thoughts were cut short when the doctor replied, "It was a secondary survey. I have to look for other unknown wounds, such as internal bleeding, abrasions and incisions. You know, stuff like that. No, I did not rape you while you were in your coma. I mean, yeah, I haven't been laid since-"  
  
  
  
The doctor was cut off when his patient cleared his throat in disgust. "Thank you doctor. Your words are reassuring, but exact details on your sex life are very much unnecessary. Now, can we continue figuring out who I am really?"  
  
  
  
"Ah, yes. Sorry about that. Well, Johnny boy, I can call you that, right?"  
  
  
  
The patient nodded his head "yes".  
  
  
  
"Good, well, while you were in your coma, you were screaming out names. Actually, I think it was only one. Let me go check my logs." The doctor got up and walked over to the night stand and picked up the thick navy blue book and opened it to his last entry.  
  
  
  
"Ah, yes. It was only one name." The doctor said, peering up form the book, "A certain 'Rinola'. Does that mean anything to you?" doctor inquired.  
  
  
  
The patient shook his head 'No'.  
  
  
  
"Ah, well what about 'Rinoa'? That should sound at least a little fam.." The doctor's words drifted off into nothingness as Old Chap took a painful stroll down memory lane. There were jagged rocks on the road and long leaves from savage trees wiped his face.  
  
  
  
The images passed by quickly, all shot from the same gun; all of them of same woman. She had long brown hair and a delicate frame. She was beautiful. He longed to touch her, to tell her he's all right and that he loved her. Loved her?  
  
  
  
"Well, I can see that that name means something to you and it should. Rinoa Heartilly, daughter of General Caraway, a famous political leader. You know, you look a lot like her boyfriend, but then again, this guy doesn't go to many social events, and when he does, he arrives late to outwit the paparazzi so his face isn't all over the mourning papers with the title, 'CARAWAY'S DAUGHTER AND HER MYSTERIOUS BOYFRIEND REVEALED AT .' some social event or other. Anyways, there are other possibilities to figuring out who you are. For example, you could be the other man she's sleeping with and the real boyfriend guy found out and wants you dead."  
  
  
  
"Oh gee, thanks. That's always reassuring." The patient smirked.  
  
  
  
"Hey, it's just a suggestion." The doctor replied. He looked at the watch and gasped at the time, "Oh my god! It's 20:32! Do you want something to eat?"  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Rinoa Heartilly stared out the window of her dorm. The stars were out and she knew that somewhere out there, Squall was either dead, or staring at the same stars as she, thinking about all the time he wasted with her. "No, he isn't dead and he isn't thinking that he wasted his time with me. He's just busy, that's all.  
  
  
  
'But even if he was busy, he would find the time to call his precious angel. Maybe he ran off with some busty blond and forgot to tell you that it's over.' The voice at the back of her head told her. The stupid voice never knew when to shut up and it always had the cruelest things to say.  
  
  
  
'Shut up! HE didn't leave me!' Rinoa yelled at the voice.  
  
  
  
'That's it dear. Keep telling it to yourself, you might end up actually believing it.' The voice sneered.  
  
  
  
Rinoa screamed out in frustration and yanked up the closest thing to her, a letter opener. It hit the doorframe, right beside the horror stricken man.  
  
  
  
"If this is a bad time, I can always come back later." Zell offered.  
  
  
  
"No, it's just that pesky inner voice telling me that Squall ran off with someone else and didn't bother to tell me." Rinoa explained. Her eyes were wet and tears threatened to fall. She let out a sob.  
  
  
  
"There, there. You don't actually believe it, do you?" Zell asked while rubbing her back and holding her protectively. He didn't know why but he always found himself playing the over protective brother around Rinoa. He dropped his defenses around Squall, knowing that the brown-haired boy would never hurt Rinoa.  
  
  
  
"N-no, b-but I d-don't kn-know what to believe. All the other th-thoughts are w-worse." She sobbed.  
  
  
  
"It's alright. I'm sure he's fine and didn't risk calling because his enemy probably wired the phone, trying to decide weather or not he's who he says he is. It's a pretty common technique for them to do that." Zell said comfortingly. In his heart, he knew it was not true, but could not gather the courage to tell her that. He wanted her to be happy.  
  
  
  
"Thank you." Rinoa said, appreciatively, "I'm being sent back to my father's house today because they said that they're worried about my health. 'It's for the best' they told me. You know, I was kinda pissed when they said that, but deep down inside, I was relieved. I can't stand another day walking past his door, hoping that he was inside, unpacking his things. I can't!" She sobbed and let Zell hold her.  
  
  
  
Her train was at 21:30. Her father's home was just on the outskirts of Deling City. She was leaving Galbadia Garden at 21:00. Secretly, she didn't want to wait for the train all by herself, nor did she want to sit alone.  
  
  
  
Zell could sense this and offered to drive her to the train station. The young woman nodded and thanked him.  
  
  
  
Together, they got up and left for the train station. They got there at 21:15 and waited for the train in silence. The station was deserted and the garbage, littered by others, was still on the ground, occasionally picked up by the breeze and then gently set down on the ground again.  
  
  
  
Soon, the train arrived and Zell and Rinoa parted after saying goodbye.  
  
  
  
Rinoa boarded the train sadly and felt alone. Her emotions weighed down on her heart as she took her steps up the train. She showed her ticket to passing guard and sat down. She stared out the window and watched as the scenery flew by. She did not want to be here.  
  
  
  
__________________________  
  
  
  
Zell watched as his friend boarded the train in slow motion. It was as if her emotions controlled the pace she walked at. He felt sorry for her. It must be hard to love someone and then be cut from all communication to them.  
  
  
  
He turned around and left the station once the train was no more than a dot in the distance. He wished he could be there with her, but he had a mission that could bring her more joy than anyone could imagine.  
  
  
  
He fished around in his pocket for the keys to the car. After he found them, he unlocked the door and climbed in. He slipped the key into the ignition and turned it. The car roared with life and back up, racing down the street and screeched to a halt when it came upon a red light or a stop sign.  
  
  
  
Before anyone could notice he was gone, the metal monster died in the Garden parking lot. Zell opened the door and hoped out. He quickly walked through the doors and ran straight to his room to pack his things. He and Irvine had and early mission tomorrow and it was a very important one. If Squall was fed the wrong information, he could be a pretty lethal weapon.  
  
  
  
His things were packed and he crashed for the night.  
  
_______________________  
  
  
  
"Good job, gentleman. I'm very pleased to her that the insane SeeD id out of our way. Now we can move straight ahead with phase two. Come here, Jesep! You have the honor of being able to leave this operation. You've cost me too much already!"  
  
  
  
The man named Jesep crept forward, hesitantly. He looked like he was about to cry.  
  
  
  
"Please don't kill me, sir." He cowered.  
  
  
  
"Too late" Said 'Sir' and shot him in the third eye, dead center of his forehead. The body fell backwards and landed on the person behind him.  
  
  
  
The man stepped aside and muttered, "Yuck!"  
  
  
  
'Sir' began to laugh and evil laugh that would haunt the men in the basement for the rest of their lives. They did not know that one by one, each of them would die an even horrible death than Jesep.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Well, how's that? I wanna take the time to thank all of you who have read and reviewed so far, you know who you are. Hm. now why can't the people who win awards just say that? Then it wouldn't seem like Hell itself. Anyways, Merry late Christmas! Oh yeah, what if the guy who originally said that was actually talking about a woman named Mary Christmas? Would we still say Merry Christmas? But then the poor woman would have turned around every time someone said that and it would lead to a point where she'd end up in an institute. Sorry! I'm babbling again! Bye! Oh yeah, Please review because there's no point in reading up to here and not saying a single word! 


	5. Dawn

A/N: Hi! I'm back and you can't get rid of me so easily. I'm back to finish unfinished business, but I don't think I'll be able to finish just yet, so, you're stuck with me. Anyways, I don't own FF8, but it's a on a "To Do" list. See: #137: Buy FF8 and see #136… Anyways, On with the "show"!

**_~Dawn~_**

It was 5:30 am and Irvine was knocking on Zell's door. He heard a groan, some stumbling and a few loud crashes. Finally, the door opened and a very disheveled Zell leaned on the doorframe. 

"Oh Hyne! What time is it?" Zell asked, rubbing his eyes. To be quite honest, he didn't have a peaceful sleep. It was ridden with nightmares that no one should have the burden of seeing. To be quite frank, it wasn't about something normal either. It was about the mission that was about to start in half an hour.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He dreamt that Johnny the Piranha got out of the Desert Prison in Galbadia even though he was supposed to be under extreme surveillance with rotating guards every twenty-four hours. Zell saw an explosion and some men walk through the hole in the wall and get the extremely dangerous mob boss out and his busty blond girlfriend give him a feel. 

It was amazing how someone like that would walk back to him after being with seventeen other men through out the course of two months.

Much to her dismay, Johnny had read a few tabloid headlines over the shoulders of a few of his guards. All of which read that she was not faithful to him and did not wait.

He kissed her and shot her twice in groin and hit an artery and blood gushed out of her leg like a waterfall. The blond looked at him with a look of utter confusion in her eyes and fall over backwards with a thud. She was dead before you could say, "_Hasta La Vista, Baby_".

Next he saw some men running along the coast of somewhere and heard gunshots and someone crashing into the water. The body looked vaguely familiar, bur it was too dark to know exactly who it was.

Cut to the next scene he saw, it was a little less gruesome than the first. There was Johnny the Piranha and he said a few words of happiness about the death of a "pesky SeeD" and shot a man named Jasper? Jester? Japed? Who knows?

Then he saw Rinoa at her home being murdered by some assassin all dressed in black and had a very familiar physique but could not tell who it was. He saw Rinoa's body all disfigured and her head was twisted in an inhuman way. Her neck was broken and she had cut a few of her spinal cords. Her airway was cut of and the assassin had injected some sort of drug into her blood stream, alternating her blood composition. Acidosis. He tried to make it look like dry drowning with a spinal injury. 

He shot up out of his dream and walked over to the sink telling himself that it was just a dream and splashed cold water onto his face. He walked back over to his bed and laid his head back down to go back to sleep. As tired as he was, he did not want to see those images again. He would rather face a T-Rex than see Rinoa dead in her bedroom again. 

This time, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep and was awaken by Irvine knocking on his door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"It's 5:30 in the morning and we have to get ready for a mission dude. Hey, you know what, I don't know how we never found out; but Johnny the piranha broke out a couple months ago. Cid must've stopped reading his paper and cut the TV signals because he never told us." Irvine stated, bringing Zell out of his trance.

"Really? And we're headed for the number one place to find Johnny, huh? Well, I guess we gotta be careful. Hey, by any chance, did he kill his girlfriend, Charlotte, or something like that?"

"Yeah.  She was shot twice, right in her Femoral Artery. How'd you know?" Irvine was pretty confused. He thought that he was the one giving out the juicy information.

"Call it intuition, I guess. Anyways, give me ten minutes." And with that Zell shut the door to get dressed and ready to go for a three-hour drive to Dollet. He was going to miss the sight of Galbadia Garden and the tranquility of the ballroom where he could practice his martial arts.

He finished brushing his teeth and gathered his bags by the door. He opened the door and saw Irvine's tired face. The young cowboy stood straight up and muttered, "Finally". He and Zell then began to walk down the stairs towards the parking lot.

They took the keys for the Jeep and walked out the door towards the Jeep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lady Dawn had just awaken and began her walk across the sky in her deep purple gown lined with a deep pink trim. The moon was still out, observing the sleeping Garden and its surrounding area. The birds were up and about searching for food whilst the crickets chirped. Out in the horizon, the sun was nothing more than a blinding speck out in the distance. It was truly a sight to see. Gone were the crazy streets and in their place was a peaceful tranquility.

"Man, it doesn't get anymore peaceful than this. I think I'm gonna fall asleep." Irvine said as he climbed in the Jeep.

"Man, quit it. Just bask in it's beauty" Zell said, as he put on his seat belt.

Irvine started the engine and the drove off, disturbing the peace.

_____________________

Rinoa was still sleeping at six o'clock in the morning in a queen-sized bed in one of the guest rooms in her father's mansion. The Caraway mansion was never quite home to her. It was more of a place that was just _there. It was nothing more and nothing less. Fact was, it is more of a home to the servants than to Rinoa._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Last night, she nearly killed herself just by walking up the steps to the door because someone decided to place a flowerpot right in the middle of the stairs, or maybe it was on the left…. Point is that there isn't supposed to be a flowerpot there.

It got even worse when she rang the doorbell and her foreign nanny answered the door.  True, she did love the woman, but her hugs were enough to kill someone. 

Ula, that was her name, would grab her and smother her in her many folds of flesh and Rinoa would normally end up gasping for air beneath her. Normally, after about a minute, she would let go because she would hear Rinoa gasping for air beneath her, but this time was different. She did not let go so quickly because she either did not hear her or she did not want to let go so quickly because she missed her so. After two minutes, Ula felt Rinoa leaning on her and almost pass out. That was when she realized that Rinoa was not getting air and decided to let go. It was then and there that Rinoa decided that ringing the doorbell was a bad idea.

That was not the only disaster that night. As soon as she set foot in the house, her dog, Angelo, ran up to her and pinned her to the floor and slobbered all over her. Sure she was happy to see her dog again, but nearly drowning in doggy drool was not her idea of fun. After a while, she managed to get the dog off of her. She got up and straightened up. She bushed all the dog hairs off her clothes and wiped the drool from her face. 

She then walked up to her room, only to discover that her father had installed a Jacuzzi in it's place. '_Gee, I'm not even in college yet and he already replaced my room with something else. I wonder what he'd do if I decided to move back in.' Rinoa thought, making a bitter face._

That was when Nancy, the maid upstairs, brought her to her favorite guest room. Rinoa had once told her that if she, for whatever the reason, was not able to sleep in her own room, this was the room she'd sleep in. 

The room was painted pale blue. The bed was to the left of the door and in the corner was a beautiful desk carved out of Rose Wood with tiny designs of pixies carved into the leg posts. Beside the desk was a matching armoire, but there were flowers instead of pixies. To the left of the bed was a bay window with a few panes of stained glass made into geometric shapes.

When Rinoa arrived at the door, she dropped he bags and collapsed on the bed, leaving Nancy to unpack her belongings for her. 

Rinoa had pleasant dreams of Squall running back to her on the beach along the water and eating strawberries. In reality, she knew that Squall would never do that, but _someone had to be the hopeless romantic in this relationship.  _

____________________________

Meanwhile, in the good doctor's home, Old Chap was still sleeping, but the doctor was not. He was sitting in the corner with a glass of brandy in his hand, reflecting on the events of last night. If there ever was such thing as doctor- patient bonding, that was it. After all, food was the way to a man's heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_It all began when the good doctor decided to take his patient out to dinner._

_"Wait a minute, aren't we still out at sea?" the patient had asked him._

_The doctor laughed at him. "No, dear boy, we found you out at sea and after I finished patching you up to the best of my ability, we brought you back to my home where I finished treating you and let you stay until you awoke from your coma. Fact is, you never saw the inside of the boat. Actually, you never saw the boat itself." The doctor continued to chuckle at his patient's confusion._

_"But my clothes are all ripped and torn! Wait a minute! I'm not even wearing a shirt OR pants!" Old Chap complained._

_The doctor went to his armoire and pulled out some clothes. Surprisingly, they were his size. He gave them to his patient._

_"I took your clothes one day and went to a clothing store and got some for you in your size. You know, the only article of clothing that had survived your encounter with the forces of nature and the brutality of men were these." And he held up two red belts that were covered with dirt, "But even they don't look so great. Judging from the rags that were once upon a time your clothes, I figured out your style and got you some clothes."_

_"Wow! Thanks. I don't know what to say you're like my Fairy God... father. Can you make me six foot five with blond hair and blue eyes? Wait, never mind, I'd end up looking too much like Seifer. Never mind. " His patient gushed. Technically, this was his first time ever receiving a gift that he could actually remember. _

_"Ha, ha. I just don't want to be seen walking on the streets with a naked man, especially a grown up one!" The doctor joked._

_"Oh, thanks. I feel SO loved." His patient sneered at him._

_"Just be thankful that I don't want to treat you for pneumonia or hypothermia. Amnesia is enough for me" The doctor joked some more._

_"Excuse me while I go get changed." Old Chap said as he left the room. A few minutes later he entered the room._

_"So, they fit? That's great!" The doctor gushed._

_"Are you sure you got my style down pat?" He was wearing a pair of black pant and a gray T-shirt with a pair of hiking boots._

_"Yup. Why? Is there anything wrong with it?" The doctor questioned. He was kind of nervous, thinking that his patient wouldn't like them._

_"Nope. Just messing with your mind." The patient joked around with him._

_"Jeez! Don't do that to me. I already have half of the top ten factors for heart disease. I can easily get a heart attack."_

_"Yeah, which ones?"_

_"Age, gender, exercise, second hand smoke and stress."_

_"Well, what would you say if I brought you to a spa, or something like that?"_

_"Well, I'd say that you'd have to rob a bank first because you're flush out of cash."_

_"Well, actually, I'll bring you out after I figure out who I am. Then I can go to whatever bank I'm using and take out some cash.  James, I promise you that I won't forget about that. Then you'll only have four. Or, you know what, you could always grow a beard, it might set you free!"_

_"Gee, thanks. I don't know what to say. Four. I'd feel so much safer. Anyways, let's go! I'm hungry."_

_And they left the dingy little hut and strode down the path towards the main streets._

_"So, what do you feel like eating?" the doctor asked_

_"I don't know. Surprise me." Old Chap replied._

_"Alright then. Let's go in here."_

_"Whatever."_

_They stepped inside and were greeted by the maitre d._

"Hello. Welcome to Sam Wong's Seafood restaurant. Table for two?" The man said in an excited voice. He was kind of short for a grown man, he was even shorter than Old Chap. He had a professional air about him and looked very friendly at the same time.

_"Yes, sir." Fisher said._

_"Follow me, then." The short man replied as he led them through a sea of tables. They stopped at a small booth and gave them a menu each. He turned around to leave, but stopped when saw one of the young waiters and yelled at him in a foreign language._

_"Léeah! Lee tun high ho ma fan! Fai di zao! Mm Jun fan lée! Ma fan yao!" he then turned around and smiled at the doctor and the patient and said, "He was not doing his job properly. Please, don't mind him." The manager said and walked off to the front of the restaurant to tend to other customers waiting in line. _

_"Don't worry, the food's better than the maitre d. He just drank too much and thinks he's all high and mighty. He's just going through with his daily 'Fire-Everyone-In-Sight' phase. Next, he's going to run through the restaurant singing 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' or some other nursery rhyme." The doctor whispered to his patient._

_Just then, the same waiter that the maitre d yelled at came over to take their order. "Hi, my name is Tim and I will take your order. What will you have, sir?" he said to Doctor Fisher._

_"We're going to use this." He said, holding up a coupon that said "THE BIG BOWL. ALL YOU CAN EAT AND MORE. USE THIS ON SEAFOOD SATURDAY. OFFER ENDS ON JANUARY 31ST 2042"___

_"Yes, sir. Anything to drink?"_

_"A scotch please." The good alcoholic doctor said._

_"Um, I'll have a Sprit, I guess." The patient said._

_The waiter leaned down and joked, "So, you're the poor sap that gets to drive, huh?" the waiter laughed._

_"Actually, no. We walked here. I just don't drink. That's all."_

_The waiter left and walked to the kitchen, leaving the doctor and his patient to talk about personal matters._

_"So, tell me what you can remember." The doctor told his patient._

_Old Chap closed his eyes and cleared his mind. He concentrated hard on remembering his past. He saw flashes that lasted no more than a few seconds. He saw people he had no idea he knew. And the very last image he saw was of her__._

_He screamed out in pain and held his head in discomfort. He shook violently and his eyes shot open. No longer were they pale blue, but cloudy and bloody shot. _

_People at the surrounding tables looked at him with confusion written all over their faces. After a couple seconds elapsed, they turned back to their dinners and conversations.   _

_"Ok then. I won't ask you to do that again until you're ready for it, or, we're not in public. But be ready. The sight of anything, like a number or a license plate might trigger more flashes and memories." The doctor warned him._

_Old Chap's eyes cleared and the pain subsided for the moment and he looked the doctor in the eyes and said, "I keep seeing her and every time, it's always the same image. She's about to tell me who she is, but I can't remember and the pain becomes over powering. The last thing I see is her looking back at me with the sunset behind her and then I open my eyes. I can't take it anymore. As soon as you let me, I'm going to Balamb to find out who I am, who this girl is and what she means to me and first and foremost, I'm gonna find myself."_

_"Well said, Old Chap.," the doctor said. _

_Just then, the waiter came with their dish. It was a pretty big bowl and it was pretty big and had to be at least the size of the waiter's arm's length just so he could hold it. A second waiter came over and placed down a Bunsen burner on the table and the first waiter, Tim, placed the huge bowl on it and lit the burner. _

_"Enjoy. Should you not be able to finish it, you may take the bowl home and keep it. There's no point in wasting seventy boxes on a 'doggy bag'." The waiter said and then he left the doctor and his patient to conquer the mount Everest of food._

_"Gee doc, what is this?" Old Chap said as he pointed to a deep fried piece of food that came from the belly of the bowl._

_"Um… I don't know if you'll like it, so I'll tell you later. Just eat it, whatever it is." The doctor said, looking at the object in question quizzically._

_" 'Whatever it is'? Gee thanks, I feel so much more better now." His patient sneered._

_"Just eat it. I mean, what harm can it do to you? This is a very prestigious restaurant. They would never, ever, ever try to food poison someone. It would tarnish their record. Just eat it." The doctor replied, "Besides, I need a guinea pig. If you fall over within five minutes, I'll know it's not safe." He muttered under his breath._

_"Oh so that's how you think me, huh? A guinea pig. I feel so loved." He said as he took a bite of it, "Hmm, it tastes like chicken. You know what, I think this is an oyster. Hey, what's that green stuff?" he said as he pointed to a green circular hoop in the center of the oyster._

_"Oh, I think it's the oyster's intestines." The doctor said as he observed the green hoop._

_"Eat up, doc." His patient said as he dumped the remaining piece of the oyster in his plate._

_"Oh, fine!" he said as e ate the intestines, "Hmm, tasty."_

_They went on as they pulled out different morsels of food. They pulled out duck, pork, dumplings, and vegetables. There was one in particular that the doctor could remember the most. The chicken._

_"Hey, what's this?" Old chap asked as he pulled out a piece of chicken with his chopsticks. The chicken itself was red, a peculiar color for a piece of cooked chicken. Or was it?_

_"Oh, that's a piece of drunk chicken." The doctor answered his patient._

_"Drunk chicken?" Old Chap looked very confused._

_"Yeah, drunk chicken .It wasn't sober. While it was alive, the farmers gave it red wine to drink and when it was drunk, they killed it. That's why it's red." The doctor said while he stared at the chicken. When he looked up and saw the baffled eyes of his patient, he began to laugh, "Nah, I'm just joking, Old Chap. The marinated it with red wine. Eat it, it's good."_

_"Well, I'm not sure you want me to do that, Doc. I might end up standing on the table and belt out some obscure song at the top of my lungs." He joked, "Oh well, bottom's up!" and he ate the chicken. "Hmm, pretty good." He said as he took another piece._

_They had successfully finished the bowl, astonishing the waiter and the manager. They called for the waiter to bring them the bill and the man eagerly walked over with the bill. The doctor looked at the bill and gave him his credit card. This was not a cheap meal. The waiter walked to the cash register and did his thing as he swiped the credit card through the card reader. He walked over to the dynamic duo and gave the credit card back to the doctor._

_"Thank you for eating at Sam Wong's Seafood Restaurant. Please come back soon." The waiter said and turned around to leave._

_The doctor and his patient got up to leave and the doctor placed a tip on the table. It wasn't much, only 100 Gils. _

_They walked back to the little hut in complete silence, save for their footsteps on the pavement. When they got back to the hut, they opened the door and collapsed on their respective beds and fell asleep the moment their head hit their pillows._

_________________________________

Meanwhile, in an old abandoned factory, Johnny the Piranha was having an emergency meeting. Such pressing matters were not ones that could wait. 

He had been in a very good mood and had only killed one man since his escape. He had given his men some extra dough because he was feeling very generous. He treated them to a very fancy dinner in the trendy part of the restaurant called Sam Wong's Seafood Restaurant a couple of days ago. He had an arrangement with the owner of the joint (who was, after all, his best friend) that he would never turn against Johnny and hand him over to the cops, even if he was in desperate need of cash. In return, the owner would have protection, should someone try to kill him.

But, just last night, he had received a call from Sam saying that someone who looked a lot like the SeeD that was supposedly killed three weeks ago had just left his restaurant. He could not believe it! His men were so incompetent. Like they say, good help is so hard to find. He muttered thanks and told his friend that that there was going to be Hell to pay.

Now, his men were arriving one by one at a very slow rate. They were all groggy and were wiping the sleep away from their eyes. Their fearless leader was about to tell them something very important. It had to be important because their boss was never awake at six o'clock in the morning. He valued his sleep.

When the last man had finally arrived, Johnny cleared his throat and began another one of his long, boring, and pointless lectures about how important a job well done was.

"Good morning gentlemen. I have woken you up this early to tell you that a job well done is very important. It is the solid foundation of any mob in this wonderful world."

The men began to panic. Their boss never used the words 'wonderful' and 'world' in the same sentence, never mind in a row, one after the other. He said that they were an oxymoron because 'There is no way in Hell that the world is wonderful'. Now they knew that something was seriously wrong. It slowly began to make sense to them. The time, the place, the subject of the lecture and now the horrible omen. As he went on, they began to shake and shiver.

"As your boss, I would like to _congratulate you on a job well done on __disposing of that pesky SeeD so well that __he walked into Sam's restaurant last night! I thought that I had drilled it into your heads that if you're going to do a job, you're going to do it properly! Anyone want to say something in your miserable defense?" Johnny shouted furiously._

A man named Jerry Evans stood forward and began to quiver. He was a quiet fellow and never defied his boss before. Being the first contender in the ring with Johnny was not his idea of fun. The short man had the poorest vocabulary when he needed it and always took a long time to get to his point.

"Well, you see sir, it goes like this. Three week ago, the whole lot of us had found that SeeD spying on us trough that broken window over there and so the boys and I went out side to shoot him, but he wasn't there. He was running away, so we chased him down to the coast and it all went 'Bang! Bang! Trrrrrrr!" Evans said as he jumped around making gun noises and he nearly wet himself out of fear that the boss would not believe him.

"Spare me the noises. I know what a gun sounds like!" Johnny snapped at him.

"Yes sir. Anyways, we chased him all the way down the coast and when we reached a cliff, we began to shot at each other. I myself got shot in the ass. It was very painful. Couldn't sit down for a week. Anyways, we shot him in the head and he fell off the cliff and into the ocean. He drifted away, further and further until we couldn't see him anymore." Evans said, concluding his story.  

"Really, well then, how come he's alive?" Johnny roared.

"Sir, we don't know. There must have been some sorta boat out there that must've picked him up and healed him, I guess." Another man piped up. He was really muscley and had muscles popping out of his ears. He was a sort of modern day Achilles and was not the sharpest knife in the box. His name was T.J MacFarley and he was not someone you wanted to get in a fight with.

"Well, then I guess I gotta kill someone now. The only question is, who will I kill?" Johnny sneered. He pointed his gun at Evans' diaphragm and shot it twice. "Let me know if it hurts." And he laughed an evil laugh that scared the men so much; they nearly called for their mommy.

A/N: Well, another chapter written. I'm just another sap with nothing to do on New Year's Eve. Oh well, nothing like spending another day in my pajamas. If any of you were wondering, that whole food incident really did happen to me while I was in Toronto visiting family. Especially the part with the oyster. And to think that I actually ate half of the intestines. Eww. Anyways, please review. I mean if you can make it this far, why not just say either "wow! Great story!" or "Holy crap! That sucked!" Should you chose that latter, please say why. A happy author just might write more. Anyways, 'see' y'all in the New Year!

P.S: Should you have any questions, please write them in your review (I do happen to read those) and I will answer them to the best of my ability (I am after all the author). Now, what are you doing still reading this? Write your review! Go! Now! (Yes, I am cranky, if any of you were wondering)


	6. Arrival

CharlieGirl: Hello! I just finished beta-reading three different stories. Hope this is considered worthwhile. Yeah, I know it'd be a crummy deal if I took so long just to write something that no one wants ta read. Anyways, just to remind y'all (Not that you need to be reminded) please perform the standard procedure of R&R (Told ya. I mean, so many people write it in their summary that even when I close my eyes, I see 'R&R'. It's getting to a point where my dying words might be "Read and Review". Man, that's sad.) Anyways, enough of my ramblings (What'll I write at the end?) and on with the story/show/saga (Not quite)/ whatever you wanna call it.

**_~Arrival~_**

After 3 hours in a car together, Zell and Irvine stopped at a hotel. They had a fight in the car about the smallest thing: whether or not Zell snored. It was sad.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Irvine claimed that Zell did, and still does snore. He argued that the last time they took a mission together; he would not have survived, had it not been for "that wonderful invention called caffeine." 

Of course, Zell had to defend himself and stated that Irvine was unable to sleep because of the discotheque beneath them.

"Right," Irvine sneered, "And I'm a monkey's uncle!"

"Well," Zell said, "I heard that Michael Jackson's looking for an uncle for his monkey, Bubbles. I think you'd be the perfect candidate. Besides, you do have that furry hair thing going on." 

"Oh yeah! Well, remember the earthquake from a couple of years ago? Well, they found out that the earthquake originated from your bedroom!" He shot back.

After that comment, the two boys sat in the car silently for the rest of the ride. The tension in the air weighed down heavily. The two friends never had an argument this massive. What hurt even more to them was that the fight struck a _little_ too close to home. _Just a little._

In the right corner, our first contender pondered in deep thought. Irvine wished he could take back what he had said. This was his best friend and he was not going to lose him in a fight that married couples had (and they weren't even married, or at least _not the last time he checked) about whether or not they snored. Sure that whole monkey thing hurt. He was not furry, nor was he hairy. He had shaved that morning and was as smooth as a baby's bottom. Besides, he did not think he looked like a monkey, but more like a pig; not that he'd ever admit it to anyone, not even to himself.  _

In the left corner, the defendant reflected on his actions. Zell did not mean the words he had said. They just popped out of his mouth in the spur of the moment. He did not mean a single word about the whole monkey business. He also thought that Irvine just said the thing about the earthquake just to say something. '_Come on, even a five year old boy can come up with that. Hell, I can even do better than that! He could've at least said something like, "_Once, I woke up and saw the curtains go back and forth to the rhythm of your snoring." _or something like that.' Zell thought as they rode in silence to Dollet. _

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

So there they were, trying to decide whether or not they should get two rooms or one.

"Man, you need your sleep. Have your own room." Zell said apologetically.

"No man, it'd be so much easier for us if we were in the same room. Just two separate beds, you know? Because I love you and all (As a friend), but not enough to sleep in the same bed with ya." Irvine said.

"I'd be really afraid if you did. But you don't need to listen to me saw wood, so just have your own room."

"You know what guys?" the clerk stepped into the heart felt fight that they were having, "We have a room with two twin beds and there's wall in between them. This must be your lucky day because the room is vacant, empty, unoccupied. Get my drift?" She said with fake enthusiasm.

The sight of the two men in front of her was beginning to piss her off. They must have had a fight about whether or not one of them snored. It was a common fight amongst married couples. But a quick glance at their left hands to her that she was wrong. Thank god! Then she thought that those arguments most been common between relatives, but they looked nothing alike. The first guy looked like an adrenaline junky with the odd tattoo on the side of his face. The second guy looked like he came straight off a ranch somewhere… Cowboy hat and all. Giving up, she decided that to whom those fights were common amongst was none of her business.

Zell and Irvine looked at each other, and as if they could read each other mind, looked at the receptionist and said, "Sure!" simultaneously. It was scary.

The receptionist was pleased. No more mushy, gushy, "No, you need your sleep. Two rooms. I'm sorry dude; it'd be easier if we were in the same room. One room." Not to seem cold-hearted or anything, but she didn't have that type of patience. 

That was the stuff that got her fired from her old job of being a caddy. She had taken one of the golf clubs and had beat the man up with it because he had taken too long, getting his feet aligned and was constantly wiggling his butt, as if to say, "Here, cop a feel." The manager had told her that she was fired and needed to attend an anger management class. She decided against her ex-boss' advice.

She took down their personal information and typed it into the computer. Just because she was not patient did not mean that she had not taken a personal liking towards this Zell fellow. She smiled at him as she swiped the cards through the card reader.

"Room 637. Sixth floor, number 637 is down the left corridor, beside the ice machine. If you need anything, just call room service. Enjoy your stay at the Regent Hotel." She said as she gave them their credit and key cards, while batting her eyelashes at Zell.

They muttered, "Thanks." And picked up their bags. They made their way to the elevators and pushed the 'Up' button. 

"Dude, she's totally into ya." Irvine pointed out.

"The receptionist? Nah, there's no way that's true. There's no way that's possible. Besides, the last time I took your advice on that stuff, the chick was staring at the guy behind me. She was basically looking through me!"

The elevator dinged, announcing its arrival. The elevator on the far right opened and an elderly couple got off and eyed the two men suspiciously. 

Just last year, someone had set off a cherry bomb in the pool and the suspects were two young men in their early twenty's. The elderly couple had the misfortune to have been swimming when the bomb exploded. Flutter boards, foam noodles and beach balls were sent hurling through the air. The couple themselves were sent high into the air and almost hit the ceiling. The poor seniors have not been able to go swimming ever since, for fear that the same thing might happen once more.

The two SeeDs ignored them and proceeded to board the elevator once the elderly couple had vacated the entrance. Zell pushed the '6' button and the doors closed. Irvine began to study the buttons closely.

"Ground Floor, Physically Disabled, Mentally Disabled, Gym, Café, Discotheque, 6, 7,8,9,10,11,12,14 and 15." Those words were written on the buttons in gold.

"Oh man! We're right on top of a discotheque _again! Last time I got "Groove Thing" stuck in my head. This is so unfair! And… Who puts the Gym on the third floor and the pool in the basement?" Irvine whined._

"I guess it's not only my snoring you'll have to sleep through, bud." Zell teased.

"Oh yeah, you can't snore if you can't sleep, dude." Irvine retorted.

The elevator dinged once more, indicating that they had reached their destination. 

The two men got off the elevator and began the walk down the hall.

"31, … 33, … 35, … 35, … 37. Hey wait a minute, there's no ice machine beside us!" Zell said.

"Oh well. It's not like you were actually going to use it, were you?" Irvine said as he opened the door.

The room was nothing spectacular. It was spacious with the standard hotel decorum. The bathroom was to the right of the door. When one walked past the wall the bathroom and looked around the wall, there was the first twin bed, a closet and a TV. If you walked past the bed, there was another wall and a door in the center of it. Inside the other part of the room was the second twin bed, another TV set and another closet. 

Zell looked around, scanning the room for a specific item, but did not find it.

"Hey, there's no mini bar!" He pointed out.

"It's probably for the best. That way we can't go broke on that thing." Irvine stated. Credit cards were not cheap, especially the interest charges; they were murder.

"True." Zell agreed, "You want the side closest to the window or the bathroom?"

"Bathroom" Irvine said as he flopped down on the bed.

"Whatever." 

"You know what, if you keep thinking like Squall, we might be able to find him faster."

"Yeah, but if Squall was thinking like himself, we wouldn't be here, Squall would be back at Galbadia Garden and so would Rinoa. Therefore, thinking like Squall wouldn't really help us. Get my drift?"

"Yeah, I guess so." The cowboy said in defeat.

"So, where do we start?" The 'Adrenaline Junky' asked.

"I don't know, but I'm thinking that breakfast sounds good. I'm starved." The cowboy suggested.

"So we start with breakfast. Sounds good to me too."

They left the room and walked towards the elevator. They pushed the 'down' button and waited for the elevator.

The elevator on the far left dinged and the men hopped on. For some odd reason, the elevator on the left was more spacious than the one on the right. Both, however, had a mahogany finishing and a golden railing that went around three of the four sides of the cube, the exception being the entrance/exit. The floor was carpeted and on three walls, there were mirrors.

"So, do you know any good restaurants around here that serves breakfast at ten in the morning?" Zell asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do. There's a little café down the street called 'Food For Thought'. It's really good."

"Alright, if you say so."

The elevator dinged once more and the two guys disembarked. Irvine held Zell before they turned the corner. He stuck his head around the corner, looked towards the reception and saw the same receptionist as before.

"Did you believe me before when I said that the receptionist likes you?" he asked.

"Psh, no!" Zell replied. He thought that his friend's cowboy was on too tight and was cutting off the circulation to his brain.

"Well, she's still there. I'll prove it to you. Follow my lead." 

He walked out, looked towards the receptionist and said, "Hiya" as he tipped his hat. The receptionist stared at him and smirked.

Zell had trouble suppressing his fit of laughter. Irvine had just finished making a complete ass of himself and expected Zell to do the same! '_Well, why not?'_ Zell thought.

He straightened up and walked around the corner. He looked at the receptionist and said, "Hi" and walked on. This time, the receptionist looked up and gave him her best smile and returned the greeting with a wave.

As soon as the two SeeDs exited the hotel, they burst out laughing. 

"Oh my god! How did you know?" Zell asked.

"Well, it was simple, really. When she swiped your card, she stuck out her chest a little. Then later, when she gave it back, she blushed a little at the contact between her hand and yours. Also, she kept on staring at you." His friend said As-A-Matter-Of-Fact-ly.

"Wow, I must be blind." Zell said, "Note to self: get glasses."

They continued to talk about unimportant matters as they walked towards the café. 

They entered the café and a waitress came over to seat them. The café was small and quaint. The walls were painted a calming green color and there wasn't that many people eating at this hour. But the fact that it was a Sunday morning must be taken into consideration. 

A few tables away, two fishermen who looked like they had just come off a boat were happily talking and eating.  The first was a bit chubby and had a beard. His bangs were stuck to his forehead.  His companion looked almost the same as him, save for the fact that he was in better shape than him and held a cigarette in between his index and middle fingers.

It was quiet in the café and one could eavesdrop on another's conversation without having to lean in.

The waitress gave the two SeeDs their menus and left them to decide what they wanted for breakfast. Whilst they decided, Zell could not help himself but over hear the conversation a few tables away.

_"Hey, remember the body we pulled outta the water a couple 'a weeks ago?" The first guy said.___

The second guy took a few puffs of his cigarette and answered him_, "Yeah? Whatta 'bout him?"_

_"I heard he can't remember who he is. He's got amnesiosis…amnesiatosis?"_

_"Amnesia. Aww, that means we can't take credit for anything. Oh well. At least he wasn't ass ugly when we pulled him out because the poor guy might be even more devastated if he was. I heard that from the doctor that he hadda piece if film in him that said he was Sefeir Almasy. Did he look like him to you?"_

_  Zell dropped his menu on the table when he heard that. A few years ago, all SeeD were to get pieces of film for identification purposes, if ever it should happen that their bodies were mauled beyond recognition.  He also knew that Squall's and Seifer's got mixed up somehow and they were just too lazy to change them. Damn the system._

"Ha! There was no way that he couldda been Almasy! He was four inches too short! And besides, isn't Almasy a blond?"

_"Yeah, that's what I said!"  And they began to laugh. The first guy was laughing so hard that he began to choke on his eggs. He began to cough and it still did not come out. Pretty soon, he was not making any noise. _

Zell jumped out of his seat and went to the man and stood him up. He began to perform the Heimlich maneuver. He began his J-thrusts when the piece of egg was hurled across the room and hit the waitress in the forehead.    

The waitress was both shocked and relieved. She was shocked that she had just been hit in the forehead with a piece of egg and that a client of hers nearly choked to death (Wouldn't you be too?). She was, however, relieved that someone knew the Heimlich maneuver and was able to save him. Silently, she removed the piece of egg from her head and made a face of disgust. 

The men began to laugh again, all four of them this time. This was a Kodak Moment and no one had a camera. The waitress was humiliated beyond belief. She was just glad that that sort of thing did not happen everyday. 

"Thank you for saving my life. How's about you join us for breakfast. My treat." The fisherman said. It was common courtesy to treat the person that saves your life to a meal.

"Sure. Thank you." Zell replied. He was not just born yesterday and knew that it was rude to refuse an offer. It would tarnish the man's pride and make the man feel unworthy. Plus, Zell wanted to know more about the body they found.

The waitress added another table to the fishermen's table and returned to her job when the gang finally sat down.

"What can I get you gentlemen?" She asked, putting the entire incident behind her.

"I would like two eggs scrambled with sausages. For the toast, I'd like white bread. Thank you." Zell said.

"Ok. And you, sir?" She said to Irvine.

"I'd like a mushroom omelet, please." He replied.

"Sure. Would any of you like something to drink?" She asked the two SeeDs.

"Coffee." They said simultaneously. It was beginning to get _very scary_.

"Ok." She said as she left.

"So, what brings you to Dollet?" the plump fisherman asked.

"Well, we're here looking for someone. A friend of ours." Irvine said.

"Yeah, what's his name?" The smoker asked, "Maybe we've heard of him."

"Squall Leonheart." Irvine said. Sure, confidentiality was important, but people might think that the smoke finally began to affect his brain. It was a theory; and he knew that the smoke was getting to his.

"Nope, never heard of him. Describe him. Maybe we saw him somewhere." Said the first.

"Well, he's got long brown hair, blue eyes and a scar across his face. He went missing a couple of weeks ago. This is where he was last." Zell described, "He's about 5'8" and says 'Whatever' a lot."

"He sounds a lot like the guy we pulled out of the water. Did he have a piece of film in him that said 'Sefeir Almasy' on it?" the smoker asked.

"I think so. I'm not sure. Maybe." Irvine said.

"Well then, you might want to pay a visit to Doctor James Fisher. He has an amnesiac with him. He's the same guy we pulled out of the sea a couple of weeks ago. Maybe he's your friend Squall, but just doesn't know it yet." The fit fisherman said. He did not trust his friend to say 'Amnesiac' properly.

"Sure. Do you have the doctor's address?" Irvine asked.

"Yeah, it's 13 579 Brilliant Blue drive." Said the plump fisherman.

"Brilliant Blue drive? What kind of a name is that?" Irvine laughed.

"I don't know. Don't ask us, we didn't invent the names of the streets, you know." The second man laughed.

The waitress came over with the coffee and breakfast. No sooner had she placed the plates down had the two SeeDs attacked the food in front of them. When she finished pouring the coffee, it was gone. '_Man, when was the last time these two ate food? Four years ago? My god! They're like vacuum cleaners! Nothing's safe!" she though as the 'Hoover Backs' did their job._

"My god! And we thought we were bad! Ha!" the fishermen joked.

The two SeeDs said nothing and just ate. The fishermen let them eat, but did not have to wait long because in five mere minutes, their plates did not have a single crumb on them. 

"Wow! You guys get down to business. Would you like anything else to eat?" The plump man asked.

"No. We're fine." They replied together, _again. This was getting out of hand._

"Wow! You guys are scary. That's twice in the span of half an hour! Anyways, are you sure?" He asked once more. Twice never hurt anyone before.

"Yup." Zell said.

"Okay. Check please." He asked the waitress. 

The waitress punched the numbers in and brought the check to the plump fisherman. She walked back to the cash and began to talk with the cook.

The man looked at the check and began to pull some Gils out of his wallet. 

The waitress walked over and collected the cash. 

The men got up and put their coats on.

"Well, we have to get down to the docks. We set sail in about an hour or so. If ever you should come to Dollet again, stop by this café. We eat here most of the time anyways." The smoker said as hit lit another cigarette. 

"Alright. We're going to check out that doctor's place. So, we'll see you guys again, hopefully. And next time, I hope you don't end up choking on some eggs again." Zell said as they went their separate ways.

_'Eleven thirty and we already have a lead. This is beginning to be a good day." Zell thought as they went back to the hotel to get the car. Hyne knows where this doctor's house was and he was not going to find it on foot. But this was only the beginning of something more than what they had bargained for. _

_________________________________________

In the Caraway Mansion, on the outskirts of Deling City, Rinoa Heartilly was just beginning to wake up. Her clock read 8:30 in its bright red numbers. She opened her eyes, wondering where she was, but it all came back to her. She was in her father's mansion. 

She got up and took her shower. The warm water brought her comfort that she had not felt since the last time she was held in Squall's arms. She had never felt like this before. She was never dependent on the human touch to give her comfort and security. 

She began to remember her dream last night and smiled. Then it struck her. She could not just wait here while Squall was Hyne knows where. She began to devise a plan in her head.

When she got out, she would hack into the Garden database and find out where Squall was last. It was standard procedure to report your whereabouts and progress to your supervisor. Then she would tell Ula that she was going to where ever Squall was, to visit her friend… Marpessa. The reason for leaving was… She was ill! That was it. She had the flu and would like to see her friend before she passed away. That was it. Marpessa over exaggerated whenever she got sick and thought that the flu would be the end of her! 

Rinoa silently congratulated herself for being very clever and for coming up with a plan so quickly.

She turned off the water and got dressed. She brushed her teeth and hair and went to the computer room.

She logged on and put her hacking skills to use. She got into the database without a problem. She put up a search for 'Leonheart, Squall' and found his dental records, medical records, personal information and lastly, his status report. What she read, she did not believe. 

The file before her eyes read as follows:

 _'Name: Leonheart, Squall._

_Current location: Dollet_

_Mission: Capture Johnny the Piranha and bring him in for questioning. _

_Progress: Became a trusted member of the mob. Was found out November 1st, 2042. _

_Further information: Current whereabouts for November22nd, 2042: unknown.'_

'_Squall became a member of a mob? Was that why he never called me? And what does that mean " Current whereabouts for November22nd, 2042: unknown."'  _She thought. _'Oh well. I'm going to Dollet then.'_

She quickly logged off the computer and went to eat breakfast. If she hurried, she could make the 12:30 train to Dollet.

Ula hugged her good morning and had managed not to cut off Rinoa's air supply._ 'Wow, that was a first' _Rinoa thought. Ula brought Rinoa's food to the table as Rinoa took her seat. _'Mm, blueberry pancakes. This is sign of a good day ahead of me.' _Rinoa thought as she performed her magic trick of making food disappear from her plate. 

When she was finished, she decided to approach the woman about her trip to Dollet to 'Visit Marpessa'.

"Um, Ula?" She began, "My friend… Marpessa isn't feeling well. She's… got the flu and she tends to exaggerate a lot when she gets sick. She said that the flu was… 'Going to be the end of her'. She said that she would like to spend 'Her last minutes on earth' with me. But, the problem is that she lives in… Dollet. I was thinking that… I'd go down there today and stay with her until she gets better. It could mean that I'd be gone for a couple of days, weeks, months even. And I thought that if I hurried, I could make the 12:30 train to Dollet."

The nanny looked reluctant to give up _her precious Rinoa for more than a minute. She changed her mind when Rinoa gave her her best 'Sad Puppy Dog' face. "Alright, but call me when you get there and every night before you sleep." She said in her thick accent. Ula knew that she had to stop falling for the sad puppy dog look eventually. It was just too easy for Rinoa because she always got what she wanted from her ever since she was five and Ula knew it._

Rinoa raced upstairs to her room to pack her things. She was careful to not mess up all the folding that Nancy had done for her as she shoved the clothes into her suitcases. She was finished before 10:00. 

She decided to drive into the city immediately and go do a little shopping while she waited. She was accompanied by Ula, who was going to bring the car back to the mansion and waited outside while Rinoa shopped. At 12:00, Rinoa was finished and Ula drove her to the train station.

"Now, listen to me, Rinoa. I want you to call me when you get there, tell me which hotel you're staying at because you will not be staying with Marpessa because you will catch her flu. Be careful of…"

" 'Perverts, pimps and muggers. Stay away from anyone suspicious and keep your hotel room locked.' I know Ula. You've been telling me that since I was seven when I went to Garden."

"Alright child. I get your point, but someone has to worry about since your father won't. And remember, I love you and I'll miss you once more when you're gone."

"I'll miss you too, Ula." Rinoa said as she got out of the car. She went to the trunk and got her things.  

Rinoa didn't know why, but she was crying. Maybe it was the fact that she was leaving her poor nanny all alone in that big mansion (her father insisted on buying many years ago, saying that a big house meant power. '_And a welcome sign for murderers and thieves. "Oh, sure. We'll leave the back door unlocked for you, Mr. Robber. Take the big screen TV and all the top-secret documents. Be our guest"'_ Rinoa had thought at the time).  Or possibly because she had left, lying to a woman that loved her like a daughter. The possibility of Rinoa feeling sorry for the nanny was always a possibility. She wiped her tear-streaked face and got out from behind the car and walked onto the sidewalk.

Rinoa waved her nanny good-bye. The car retreated into the distance ahead of it. Rinoa turned around, purchased her ticket and stood on the quay as she waited for the train to come. She thought about what she'd say to Squall when she found him. She wondered what he'd say when he saw her, but more importantly, how he'd react. _'He'll be happy to see me."_ She told herself.

The train arrived, snapping Rinoa out of her thoughts. She gathered her things and boarded the train.  She found a compartment all to herself and thought about the journey ahead of her.

_____________________________

Dr Fisher had just finished reminiscing about the night prior to his morning glass of brandy for breakfast. The sleeping form of his patient had just awakened. The doctor looked at him.

"Good morning." The patient greeted him. 

"More like afternoon." The doctor responded.

"Afternoon? What time is it?" The patient asked, slightly concerned.

The doctor pointed to the clock on the nightstand beside the bed. The bright red numbers gave out the time and realized that it was not quite the afternoon.

"10:30 am is not quite the afternoon. Frankly, I don't know how you made it as a doctor if you can't tell the difference between morning and afternoon." The patient teased.

"Knowing the difference between night and day was good enough for them." Fisher replied. 

Old Chap laughed as he walked into the bathroom. Hygiene was as important to the patient as it was to the doctor. Old Chap closed the door behind him, leaving the doctor by himself once again.

The doctor walked over to the kitchen and pulled out a frying pan, some eggs, ham and home fries out. He was going to try to make breakfast. He turned on the stove and realized that he forgot the oil. 

Grumbling, he walking back to the cupboard and pulled out the olive oil. There was not that much left, but just enough to make breakfast. 

He pored some in the pan and went back to the cupboard to put it away.  He walked over to the stove and began to crack the eggs against side of the pan. He carefully dropped the yolk and egg white in the pan and listened to it sputter. He did the same to the second egg. 

He pulled out a second pan and proceeded to cook the ham. He put down two slices after he had pored the oil in it. He listened as the cold ham met the hot oil and the crackling sounds emitted from the pan.

They demanded his attention as he saw the egg white was actually white. He removed the two eggs and placed them on a plate. He put the hot pan in the sink. He turned on the tap and the water streamed in the pan and steam filled the air above the pan, hovering like a black cloud and evaporated a few seconds later.

The smell of cooked ham brought him out of his trance. He diverted his attention from the steam and flipped the ham, letting the other side cook. 

He walked back to the sink and washed it so he could cook the home fries. As he scrubbed the pan clean, he thought about the last time he had eaten home fries. They were delicious and were his favorite part of breakfast, but he stopped eating breakfast long ago when he had discovered brandy. 

Pleased with his handy work, he dried off the pan and set it once more on the stove and pored the rest of the oil on the pan. He sighed with relief when he saw the he had enough to oil the pan. He shoveled some of the fries into the pan and checked on his ham. It was perfect. Slightly browned, the way that ham should be eaten. He took the ham off the pan and placed it on the plate. 

He took the pan and placed it in the sink and watched the steam again. For some odd reason, the steam had always mesmerized him since he was a little boy of three years old.

Old Chap walked through the door at that moment and saw the man who held his fate in his hands staring at something so simple. He sighed and looked at what held the doctor's attention. What he saw was very odd. For some reason, he could have sworn that he saw _her_ again. The woman that was stuck in his memory was there before him, _in a cloud of smoke. He closed his eyes and looked again and saw nothing but a lot of steam.  _

He glanced at the stove and saw that the home fries were still in the pan, unattended to. He knew that they could be burned quickly, so he walked over to the stove and shook them. The oil beneath them sputtered and Old Chap saw that the fries were done. He turned off all the burners and shoveled the fries on the plate beside the stove.

"Huh?" the doctor said as he walked out of his trance. He jumped when he saw his patient beside him, placing the hot pan that had once contained home fries into the sink. He became mesmerized once more as the steam rose to the ceiling. This time, however, Old Chap snapped him out of his trance.

"Dude, you gotta stop doing that. You'll get easily distracted when the fireworks roll out." 

"Oh, really? Says who?" The doctor retorted.

"Says the fact that you're easily distracted by steam." His patient replied smugly.

"What if it was only the steam that distracts me?" The doctor tried to out wit him.

"Well, … Then I'd say that you're one messed up doctor. I'd also say that I'm glad that you're not still on the operating table." He said with a smile.

"Really? Who ever said that I wasn't still operating? I mean, how do you think you survived that storm?" the doctor retorted. He pointed his index finger at himself and mouthed the word _'Me'_. He smiled triumphantly at his patient.

The patient was stunned. He never thought that this alcoholic doctor was ever fit to cure anyone with the proper medication, let alone operate on someone. The notion of James Fisher operating on him scared him to death. He had been told a few times about how lucky he was to not have died like the poor guy getting heart surgery. 

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

_It was June 23rd, 2042 and James Fisher had just gotten ready to do heart surgery on Jerry Gladstone. Fisher had finished downing a shot of tequila and was listening to some rock music. He put on his scrubs and washed his hands. He began to feel a little light-headed as he did his pre-surgery preparation. Maybe he had too much tequila. Non-sense. There was no such thing as too much tequila. _

_He tossed the feeling aside and continued to the table. They already had the guy stabilized. He was set to perform open-heart surgery. The monitor beeped and booped, indicated that his heart beat was normal. All was going very well. He began cutting through the man's rib cage. All was well._

_He then proceeded to cut the ribs. All was well, so far. The ribs were cut one by one. The nurses around him gave him what he called for and moped his brow so the perspiration did not mix with the patient's blood. _

_The minutes that seemed like hours passed, one by one.  Just when he thought that he could not take anymore, the last bone was cut and the heart was beating right before his intoxicated eyes. He raised his scalpel, ready to attack the left ventricle… Or was it the right? Maybe he was supposed to cut the right atrium… Or the left? _

_He couldn't remember. He then remembered that he was supposed to start with the septum, but completely missed and sliced the aorta and pulmonary artery. Blood began to gush and the heart monitor began to slow down and the red light began to blink on and off. The nurses began to stare at him quizzically. They were shocked that Dollet's best surgeon had completely messed up open-heart surgery by mistaking the left ventricle for the aorta and pulmonary artery. It was very simple. Any student in the ninth grade would know the difference between the three. _

_The people around the doctor tried to patch the man up while the surgeon just stood there. He could not believe that he had just messed that up. The alarms and shouts in the room faded as the doctor immersed in deep thought. _

_The patient eventually wound up in cardiac arrest and his family eventually found Dr. Fisher and sued him and the hospital. The hospital got off easy They were told that they had to fire the intoxicated doctor and pay for the funeral services and a fine of 30 000 Gil. The doctor, however, got his beautiful loft atop of the Sunset Skyscraper taken away (to pay a fine of 200 000 Gil), fired, was never hired again, not even as a pediatrician. He was ordered to attend a support group for alcoholics (but he never got around to that) and to do thirty hours of community service._

_From time to time, certain celebrities called for his help in situations that they wanted to be kept confidential. He did demand a hefty sum for his services, but these were the people that did value secrecy more than they did money. He was not proud of it, but hey, a man's got to do what he has to._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Well, I think that's it. I mean, what's next remains to be seen. I promise that in the next chapter, I'll add more 'mobish' scenes and answer a few questions that you might have. Anyways, I'll see y'all in the next chapter. Anyways, um, … I've been pretty busy the past few weeks or so. I haven't updated in the longest time, but hey, better late than never. You know what? I think this chapter was just to stall a little and to do a little spring-cleaning in the doctor's closet. Anyways, please review, lest you want to be sedated by a yeti. It's your choice. Seriously, I'll have one imported from the Himalayas.  I write faster with feedback (and less to edit, but that's not the point! :D). So, what are you doing still reading this? GO! If you're Sammy-Chan or Heida, read on. 

I'm not complaining. Actually, I feel quite flattered that you actually want me to edit your fic(s). Yup, there goes that warm, tingly feeling. So, I now release you to go write your reviews (you owe me that much. Besides, you're my friends. It'd just be cruel if you didn't.)


	7. Clarity

A/N: I'm sorry. I know I made Evans die, but he had no other purpose in the story… Or did he? ^.^ Aside from me shooting Evans, does anyone else have any objections as to what I did/wrote in the past six chapters? … No? Good! 

Disclaimer: Yes, you have found out my secret. I'm making a prophet by posting this story on site that lets people read it for FREE. Tell me again how that's possible.

Anyways, on with the show/saga/epic/trilogy/whatever you wanna call it!

**__**

**__**

**_~Clarity~_**

Evans had stopped breathing after thirty seconds and soon after that, he was dead. His dead body lay there motionless on the cold cement floor of the warehouse. Johnny had obviously never heard of the expression "Don't shoot the messenger boy!" Fact was Johnny had taken a personal liking to the ways the ancient kings had thought. They had, after all, shot the bearer of bad news; one after the other; just like Johnny has been doing. They were his role models. 

People were afraid of Johnny now more than ever. They knew that he had fallen off his rocker and was making no attempts to get back on.  They had all considered running away to Trabia, where no one could find them. MacFarley was thinking about joining the Shumi Village. It was very far north and no one would ever think about looking for the big guy there.

"I don't give a shit about how you kill him, but I WANT HIS HEAD ON A SILVER PLATTER!" Johnny yelled. It was pissing him off about how true the saying "Good help is so hard to find" was. He supposed that, eventually, he was going to run out of men to kill, but that didn't bother him; there was always more easy-to-manipulate men out there to choose from.

Just then, a loud ring cut through the air, playing the Grim Reaper's theme song.  Johnny's lackeys let out a sigh of relief. This was a close call because their mental case of a boss was becoming very scary and their confidence was beginning to wither. 

"Speak…. What? Didn't you retire from the mob life?  …  What can so important that you'd call? … Really? … You're kidding! … Are you sure? … Really? … You better not be lying or I swear to Hyne that I'll fucking rip your throat out! … Well, I'd say that you're a pretty confident sonofabitch, then… Yes… WAIT! No, don't kill him. Bring him to me. I want to see for my own eyes that what you say is true… Tomorrow sounds good enough. Bring him to the warehouse on 3rd street… Yeah, the abandoned one… 12:00 A.M sharp… Good. Later then." And Johnny hung up his cell phone with a smile. 

The men began to tense up again. Johnny's mood swings were never ones to be reckoned with. They changed faster than you could say "Hi". Sometimes, he even under went severe cases schizophrenia. Every single man in the room knew about the multi-personalities of their boss. They were Charleston, the ex-marksman, Micky, the blubbering idiot and Jessy, the suicidal. One time, Jessy nearly made Johnny kill himself, but Jones, Johnny's number one, stopped him by pulling the gun out of his hand. Too bad, no one would've missed him.

"Well boys, you're off the hook. It seems that someone has pulled a chance card in your favor." Johnny smiled.

Jones stepped forward. He was a well-built fellow with deep brown eyes and curly brown hair. He was a pretty confident guy and did not fear the boss because he was the boss' number one and he had let it get to his head. Jones was also cocky, cynical and a little sadistic. They may not have been his most admirable qualities but they were enough to save his skin in a tight situation. He was also dependable and was probably the smartest of the lot.

"Who?"  Jones asked. He silently added, under his breath, "What favor? We're going to die eventually." 

"What was that?" Johnny asked as he eyed his number one suspiciously. "I know that you want my place as boss, Jones…" He said, implying that he knew that Jones desperately wanted to be the leader of an organized crime ring. That was true; Jones tried everything to make Johnny give up his position as boss without killing him, but nothing worked. 

"Nothing, Johnny. I only asked _who did us the favor. That's all. Nothing more."_

"You said something after that. I may be insane, but I'm not deaf." Johnny said as the venom dripped from his voice.

"No, I didn't. Maybe that was Charleston or Jessy or Micky talking to you. _I _didn't say anything after that." Jones replied smartly. 

The men watched in anticipation as the boss and the numero uno duked it out verbally. So far, it looked like the numero uno was winning. They were amazed when the boss gave up trying to out wit his number one.

"I suppose so. Anyways, the guy who just did you all a big favor is…" 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rinoa Heartilly snapped out of her trance and beamed with energy as the train came to a halt in Dollet. It was 3:30 P.M and she had spent most of the ride looking out the window, waiting for the train to arrive at its destination. She smiled inwardly at herself, thinking that very soon she'd see Squall. 

Rinoa picked up her bags and got off the train. The gentle breeze swept across her face as she descended the stairs and exited the train station. The guards smiled at her and watched her leave, eyes lingering on her retreating form. Rinoa giggled. She knew they were staring at her ass.

She got out on the main street and hailed a cab. She did not have to wait long because a cab pulled up to the curb, ready to take her to her destination.

The cabby was an old wizened fellow with a long white beard and beady brown eyes. He was short and wrinkly. His eyes told Rinoa that he knew the streets by heart and more. He was Jerry James; Dollet's all seeing, all knowing, master of the streets. He knew every hotel, club, street, restaurant, and even the abandoned buildings. 

Jerry popped the trunk and Rinoa put her bags in it. She then got in the cab and smiled.

"Where to, young lady?" Jerry asked. His voice was old and squeaky. Surprisingly, the old man still had all of his real teeth. 

"Um… I don't know. I just got in and I'm staying for… I don't know. I was wondering if you could recommend a great hotel."

"Sure. The best hotel for tourists, visitors and business people is the Regent Hotel. They have the best facilities to accommodate everyone. They have a gym, café, discotheque, a pool and tons of other facilities." Jerry suggested. 

"Sure. Thanks."

"The Regent it is." Jerry said as he stepped on the gas pedal.

The cab passed by many buildings and malls. Jerry pointed out the major tourist sites and spoke of the amazing clubs that he used to own once upon a time. Truth was, Jerry owned club after club until one day, some chump named Cedrick decided to take over by owning a club of his own with some special feature that Jerry just couldn't keep up with, so he retired. He took his retirement fund and went all around the world. Here he was now, a cabby, driving people around. He really didn't mind driving people around because he got to meet new and interesting people with every ride.

Finally, after about ten minutes of sight seeing, they had arrived at the hotel. Rinoa paid the caddy and got her things out. She strode over to the door and entered.

She walked over to the reception and asked for a room. The receptionist smiled and asked how long Rinoa would stay there. Rinoa thought for a moment.

"I don't know. Maybe a week." She answered.

The receptionist looked at her and smiled. "Well, we have a floor for the visitors how have an undetermined stay. Will that be alright?" She asked.

"Sure" Rinoa said as she gave the receptionist her credit card.

The receptionist took her card and swiped it through the card reader. She entered Rinoa's personal information in the computer. She took a card from the drawer and set it up to work. She then gave Rinoa her card back and said, "Here you are. Room 639. Sixth floor, turn left on the elevator and go straight down 'til you reach you room." 

Rinoa took her cards, muttered "Thanks", picked up her bags and went to the elevator. She pushed the up button and waited.

The elevator doors opened and a couple got on with her. They stood in silence while they waited to arrive on their designated floor. Rinoa remembered what it was like with Squall with her wherever she went. 

The elevator dinged at the fourth floor. The couple got off at the café and Rinoa stood all by herself in the elevator. Soon after, though, the elevator dinged and Rinoa got off the elevator, bags in hand. She walked down the corridor in search of her room when she saw an ice machine 

She dropped her bags and began to open the door. She began to daydream once more about how much she wished Squall was with her right now. She even missed the glares he gave to other guys when they even so much as looked at her. As much as that habit pissed her off, she missed it. Some few minutes had passed before she heard two men disputing about something or other. 

_"I can't believe you read the map upside down! We almost drove to Timber!" _

_"Hey! At least I didn't try to run over an old lady with a walker!"_

_"Oh yeah, well, I didn't just cost us the mission!"_

_"At least I didn't almost kill someone! It was a 30 Km zone and you were doing 90!"_

_"At least I can actually read a map!"_

_"So can I! I just didn't realize that the S was where the N was, ok? Geez!"_

_"Hmph! Fine! We'll try again tomorrow and YOU drive and I'll read the map."_

_"I'll be damned if you- Rinoa?" _

Rinoa looked in the direction of the guy who had just called her name. It was Irvine.

"Hi. I heard that you can't read a map properly. That true?" She asked as she smiled cheekily at him.

"Neither can you, apparently. What're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be near Deling?" Zell asked.

"Yeah, well, I escaped my nanny and told that I'd go visit a friend here." Rinoa said nervously.

"Yeah, who?" Irvine asked. He knew Rinoa like the back of his hand and was one hundred percent sure that she had no friends in Dollet. 

Rinoa's face went crimson as she tried to recall of the name that she told Ula, "Mar…. Marlena… Marilyn…. Mar… Marpessa!"

"Really? Maybe we can take you to her place tomorrow… If you want." Irvine added with a look of complete disbelief. 

Rinoa saw that look in his eyes and muttered under her breath, "Aw, shit!" and then said, "Fine! You got me, all right? I came up here to find Squall!" She hissed.

"Rinoa, you shouldn't be here! Squall was working on a mob case before he disappeared. We don't know if he's dead, alive, held captive or what not. It's too dangerous! You should go back! And how the Hell did you know that he's here?" Zell told her, deeply concerned about her well-being.

"Who cares?! And what do you mean, 'For my own good'? I could barely watch where I was going before! And now you're taking away my _raison d'êter_? That's mean and I don't see how it's going to 'Do me good'!" She argued.

"But you won't need a _raison d'êter _if you're DEAD!" Irvine said. 

"Oh yeah! I wanna die knowing that I at least tried to fulfill my _raison d'êter _because then I would have at least made an attempt at my purpose in life!" She retorted. 

"Rinoa, I don't care what you say! You're going back!" They said in unison. 

"NO, I'M NOT!" She screamed, "Just drop it! There's nothing you can do or say to make me go back! So, just do yourselves a favor and quit it! You'll live longer!" 

They looked at her in astonishment. How Caraway managed to raise a headstrong daughter, they had no idea. How could they persuade her? The answer was simple: They couldn't. They threw their hands up in defeat.

"Fine! We we'll drop it, but you're not coming with us either." Zell said.

"I never said I was."

"Good."

"Good."

"Fine." 

"Fine" Rinoa said as she opened her door. She went in and slammed it shut.

"Wow, talk about PMS!" was all that Irvine had managed to say.

"Shut up! We're gonna have to wake up at an in-human hour so that she won't follow us! How does ten sound?" Zell asked.

"Wow, man! You're going where no man has gone before!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just shut up now." Zell said as he opened the door and crashed on his bed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ula had been waiting by the phone, anticipating Rinoa's call any moment now. 

She had been waiting ever so patiently since she had gotten home from the train station. She had managed to keep herself busy by doing all the chores that needed to be done and more. By 7:30 P.M, she had already cleaned out the garage twice, did all the laundry, washed the dishes, vacuumed each ad every single room, cleaned out the attic, storage areas and finished the romance novel that she had been reading.

The maids were all worried about Ula's mental health and called her son over to keep an eye on her. 

Once upon a time, way back when in Ula's youth, Ula had met a man in a bar. Of course, the basic scenario happened. Things got hot, heavy and… Well, you get the picture. Of course, the guy was only looking for a one-night stand (That is the expectancy rate of drunks in a bar) and he had left her in the morning. Poor Ula woke up in the morning to discover that the guy had vanished without a trace. A month later, she noticed that she was late and the next 8 months were just pure Hell; all leading up to extreme pain in the end. 

Chester was an okay looking guy. He had blond hair and blue eyes. His ears were slightly larger than normal and his fingers were a little too long. He was of average height and had buckteeth. It was a very well known fact that Chester had a life long crush on Rinoa. However, because Chester thought that he was God's gift to women, Rinoa rejected him. He was constantly calling her "Sweet Thang" and making passes at her. He hated Squall and even tried to start a fight between them. To his dismay, they not only figured out what he was trying to do, but they kissed and made up in front of him. 

When Chester arrive at the manor, he greeted the maid that answered the door with a "How You Doin'" smile and strolled in, while trying to flaunt his assets to other maids.

"Hey ma! What's up?" He asked his mother in an arrogant manner. The habits he had picked up in high school never quite left him, even if he was with his mother.

"Hello Chester. What are you doing here? Rinoa is not home. She's in Dollet somewhere. I told her to call me, but she didn't. I don't even know if she's all right! She could've been raped or worse… " And Ula broke down in tears.   

"Dollet, eh? Want me to go down there and find her?"

Ula looked at her son for a moment. Her brain was trying to process what he was saying. Her son, Chester, was offering to go find Rinoa in Dollet? Why on earth would he do that? Who cares!

"Oh please! She said that she was visiting her friend Marpessa and was staying at some hotel. She told me that she'd call me when she got there, but she never did!" Ula pleaded.

"Alright, ma. I'll call you when I get there." Chester said as he left his mother with that hopeful look in her eyes.

As soon as he left the manor, Chester leaped into the air and shouted, "Rinoa, baby, I'm comin' to get ya!" and cheerfully skipped to his car.

A/N: Don't y'all just love me? Don't y'all just love ma cliffhanger? Aren't I evil? I feel good right now. Anyways, thank you for reading and please review. It only takes two seconds because I now give you two options of what to write. Option A: "Wow! Good job! I really liked that! Write more soon!". Option B: "Holy Crap! I can't believe I just read that piece of shit! What possessed you to write something like that? I'm suing you for corrupting my innocent mind by introducing me to a complete waste of time and something that can't even be called a story!". You can always write more if you want.

P.S: If anyone likes Chester, say "I" because then I might not make him an ass.


	8. Revelation

A/N: Well, um… INTERESTING. One review. A very special Thank you to for the two reviews I got. I now know that Mary-Sues are unappreciated and I'm never going to post on a Thursday again. Anyways, I just remembered that I named the doctor James. It would have been funny if his name were John Fisher… Like the saint! … *Silence* Aww, Jeeze! Don't you people know good comedy when you read it? :P Anyways, uh… Please review. Please? 

Disclaimer: Are you people friggin' nuts? You think that I, Jocko, own a mutli-million corporation that designs a PlayStation game? I don't even have PlayStation or FF8 (the game), nor have I ever played it! So sue me! (Don't)

**_~ Revelation ~_**

**__**

"The guy who just did you all a big favor is… JAMES FISHER. You know, the guy that retired a few years ago… Aww come on! You people are so stupid!" Johnny yelled at their stupidity. 

It wasn't their fault either. They had only been apart of Johnny's mob for a year now. Fact is; the first group of guys was shot to death because they had failed to kill some foreign spiritual leader. Johnny never had a complete crew work for him longer than three years. That was sad.

"THE EX-HITMAN! FUCKING SHIT! DON'T YOU PEOPLE KNOW ANYTHINFG ABOUT MOB HISTORY?!" Johnny was having another temper tantrum.  "YOU GUYS ARE FUCKING HOPELSS! HIT MEN ARE THE BEST TYPES OF MOBSTERS THAT THERE ARE AND HERE YOU MORONS ARE TRYING TO BRING DOWN THE REPUTATION!" The men at this point knew that it was no longer Johnny talking, but Charleston talking. Here was schizophrenia at it's best. You wouldn't want to miss it for the world. 

"Oh yeah…! Him…! I remember him…! Didn't he shoot two guys with the same bullet?" MacFarley spoke up just to cover the odd silence and a shard of hope that they would be able to live to see tomorrow. 

"FINALLY! Someone who knows SOMETHING! I'm saved!" Charleston exclaimed. It was incredulous that such a big bloke would be the smartest of them all.

MacFarley on the other hand, was skeptical. He was only trying to be a smart ass by giving such a stupid answer to a mad man. But then again, this guy was almost as insane as Jessy and Micky put together. Perhaps today wasn't such a bad day after all.

Just then, someone shouted out "Showoff!" and MacFarley's temper flared. He walked over to the source of such mockery, looked him straight in the eye and floored him. The guy lay sprawled on the concrete floor, clutching his eye.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The doctor had never had to lie to his patient before. It was a simple fact. Of course, what did not touch the subject remains to be seen. It may have not been a wise move by the doctor on his part, but that did not stop him. 

James Fisher silently hung up the phone and let out a breath he did not know he was holding. Subconsciously, he knew things were about to get ugly and damn near to fatal. This might be his last operation ever.

"Doc, what's eating you?" Old Chap asked from behind the doc, scaring the man out of his wits. 

"Uh, nothing. Let's go for supper. We need exercise." The doctor replied.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Seifer Almasy hung up the phone once more. He was going to prove them wrong.

Author's Note: Well… That was short. Now, review, or I'll beat you with a stick. You just gotta love Lennie (Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck). I don't seem to have many words today. Oh well.


	9. Early Morn

A/N: Sure, you may think that Seifer has nothing to do with the story, but you will see… Besides, it was a suggestion I got. You'll see. Anyways, R+R. Yeah, those'll be the last things I see. I'll die from 'em. Anyways, on with the story/show/saga/trilogy/ whatever you wanna call it.

Disclaimer: Well, funny thing really. I was out shopping the other day when I walked in front of an auction house. Deciding that it was worth a peek, I walked in and guess what they were auctioning! Final Fantasy. But then the auction-clerk-y person (You know… The guy that talks at 600 words a minute) said some amount that was just way out of my league. I then waited and tried to mob the guy who got it, but sadly… SOMEONE BEAT ME TO IT!!!!! So, sadly, I do not own FF8; it belongs to the mugger from the auction house.

Early Morn

**__**

**__**

**__**

The following morning was one of strategic maneuvers that had to be mastered in due time. The staff at the hotel was oblivious to what was going on; and couldn't care less about what happened that day… Unless they got a raise. There would be no point in running past them because they didn't care… Unless you slipped on a wet floor and broke your leg.

Zell and Irvine crept out of their room silently, in hopes that they would not wake Rinoa up. They were already late and the chances of Rinoa already being awake were pretty high. 

It was 11:30 A.M. They had told themselves that they would wake up at the unholy hour of 10:00 A.M, but they slept through the alarm. What good was an alarm that you could sleep through? From the point that they decided to wake up, they were already running around and Irvine slammed into the wall between the bathroom and the door. 

Zell didn't have a lot of luck either.  After he finished laughing, he ended up tripping over the comforter that was strewn across the floor. He ended up crashing face first. After that, the accidents didn't seem to end; Irvine cut himself shaving four times, Zell's toothbrush fell in the toilet, and they just didn't seem to end afterwards. To name everything that happened would take forever.

Finally, after they managed to walk around properly, they emerged from their room, walking cautiously down the hall towards the elevator. The elevator dinged as usual and they climbed on board. They were alone and silently hoping that Lady Luck would take them in her favor today. 

The elevator dinged once more and they got off on the ground floor. They walked past the reception and noticed that there was a different receptionist today. What they didn't notice was the girl sitting on a sofa with her head in a magazine, wearing sunglasses inside the hotel.

Zell and Irvine walked out the door and hopped in the car. The engine roared and they left. Thirty seconds later, the girl with the sunglasses got in a car and followed them. 

The girl really did stand out. It was cloudy outside and the only source of light was the faint glow behind the clouds. Plus her car didn't help either. 

Some moron decided to leave the keys in custard yellow VW Bug.  In a town full of Chevy Pick Ups, a yellow bug really does stand out a lot… Especially when the majority of the mass of cars there was gray.

"Dude, I think someone's following us." Irvine said.

"Yeah right! Why would someone follow us?" Zell asked incredulously.

"I dunno. It's just that that girl there has been following us since we left the hotel… THE HOTEL!! IT"S RINOA!!!" Irvine's little hamster in his head was running at full speed.

Zell just stared at his friend curiously. To him, his friend was cracked and there was no repair.

"Yeah, and I'm Santa Clause." Zell retorted.

"Well, suit up Santa because here she comes." Irvine said as he pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store.

As he had predicted, the VW Bug rolled in after him. Irvine parked the car and they got out. They walked to the Bug and knocked on the window.

The driver reluctantly rolled down the window and stared at them through her shades. As if she was waiting for an answer, her face contorted with impatience.

Irvine stepped a little closer to her window. He was really excited to prove Zell wrong.

"Why are you following us?" He demanded.

"Good one, dude. Skip the prelims and grab the bull by his balls, huh?" Zell criticized.

"I wasn't following you. I happen to have needed to… Pick up some groceries… And I had just… Finished visiting a friend of mine in her hotel room." The girl replied defensively.

"Yeah, and why are you wearing sunglasses on a cloudy day?" Irvine inquired.

"Because… I like them… Is it a problem to you?" She spat back.

"Yeah. Rinoa just cut it out. You stand out like a black sheep in the crowd of white chickens!"

"What? Who said there was a crowd of chickens?"

"I did!"

"Well, what's your problem? It's my decision."

It's not so much the sunglasses that I'm arguing about; it's the part about you following us when I told you that you weren't gunna come!"

"It's my life! You can't tell me what to do! Besides, it's eating at my soul to be torn away from him for a very long time!" She said as she removed her shades, revealing watery eyes.

The sight before Zell made him weak with compassion. He caved without knowing it.

"All right. You can come with us." He said, wrapping his arms around her.

"What? Dude! What happened to her going back to Deling?" Irvine tried to protest, but was silenced by a fist that flew pretty close to his face.

"She's coming with us."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So, where're we going?" Rinoa asked from the back seat.

"Well, yesterday, we got a lead while eating breakfast. We're going to try it." Zell said.

"Ok."

Irvine was still annoyed that Rinoa was coming with them. She was a threat to the mission if they found Squall. Nobody knows what happened to Squall. Suppose he was being held captive. What would happen if they knew about Rinoa? That could put their lives and hers on the line. There was also the possibility that Rinoa could become heartbroken. Suppose he found another girl. Nah, that would never happen. There was worse. So, instead of saying something, he just grit his teeth and drive.

The conversation after that died down. Nothing was said until they got there.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They arrived outside the doctor's humble abode at 11:45 A.M. Neither of them wanted to stay in the car any longer. The car engine didn't even stop and they had all ready jumped out of the car.  They raced up the stairs to the house.

The shiny knocker was on the door and there was no doorbell. The little house was silent in the inside. Perhaps they weren't home.

Rinoa reached upwards and knocked the door. At once, someone came and opened the door. He was fidgeting like he was in a hurry.  It was the doctor.

"Hello. How may I help you?" he asked nervously.

"My name's Zell, and these are my two friends, Rinoa and Irvine. We heard that you had a patient that came to you a few weeks ago. We think that he might be our friend that has been missing since a couple of weeks ago." Zell spoke up.

The doctor looked at Zell and sighed reluctantly. "So what do you want me to do about it?" He asked impatiently.

"We'd like to see him… If it's all right with you, that is." Irvine said.

"Fine." The doctor gave in, "Old Chap! Some people want to see you!" the doctor yelled back.

Old Chap came to the door and looked at who he saw. He recognized only one of them. By the look on her face, she recognized him too. She looked like she was going to break down and cry.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Seifer smirked as he walked through the streets of Dollet. There were people everywhere trying to sell him things that he had no use for. He scowled as he walked past beggars and hobos decked in rags.

He was headed to an abandoned factory to stop something from happening, but what? What was so important to him that he had to stop today? What was so great about an abandoned factory? It was the ideal place to kill someone and act as if it was an accident.

A/N: OoooooooOOOOooooooooohhhhhhhh! Aren't I great? Don't you just love me? Actually, don't answer that second one; it'd just wig me out… Seriously, it would. Anyways, I think that reading fics and author's notes has finally caught up with me because I seem to have developed a craving for reviews, so, with these last words, I ask you to your left and look down. I believe that you will see a bar that says "Submit Review" and a box beside it that says, "Go". Push it and let me know what you thought of my story so far. And if that's too hard, just push a letter. The options are: A) Are you shitting me? That was beyond my worst nightmare!" (Should you choose option A, I ask that you write why so I can improve) or B) "Wow! Fantastic! I'd give it five thumbs up… If I could… But I can give it FIVE STARS! *Cheesy smile and wink to follow*" Or there's always option C) "That was all right. You ain't better than all them other writers out there." So, satisfy my craving and review.


	10. Precious Memories

A/N: Well… Yeah. A little warning, this chapter won't be written in my normal style of writing. Read and tell if you like or not.

Disclaimer: *Sarcastically* My favourite part! The part where I claim to own nothing! Oh so much fun! Where I turn out to be the broke writer! Well, I got news for you! I DO own a few of the characters *Grins evilly*! I own the doctor; the two fishermen; the deceased mobsters; Ula the nanny; the receptionist; the non-deceased mobsters; the taxi driver and the waiter (from chap 5)! THEY'RE MINE! MINE, I TELL YOU, MINE!!!!! *Waits a moment* Okay… So maybe I don't want them… THEY'RE EATING ALL MY FOOD!!!!! Take them away!!!! *Ponders for a moment* Hah! I pity Squaresoft for owning the Final Fantasy Trilogies… THAT MUST BE ONE HELL OF A FOOD BILL! *Laughs demonically* MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!… Okay, I'm done.

**_~10: Precious Memories~_**

He stared at her for a moment before uttering, "Who are you?"

As soon as the words came out, he regretted them: she looked at him- as if to look for traces of a joke or a prank- and burst out into tears. How could he do that to her?

***

The moonlight streamed in through the open window, casting eerie glow upon everything it toughed. The darkness in the room sat at the feet of the soft light. A picture-perfect outline could be seen by anyone… If anyone were in room other than the couple lying together on the double bed.

_He lay there watching her, thinking how perfect his life would be with her at his side forever. She was the image of perfection that was produced in his mind's eye since he had hit puberty. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her; have children, watch as their children have children; grow old with her. That was going to happen: he told himself it would._

_She lay on top of him, sleeping serenely. One arm was slung across his chest and the other intertwined with his own. Her silky black hair was strewn across the pillow beside them. Her face looked sweet and angelic, in a total state of utopia. _

_Her breathing was slower than when she was awake. On occasion, she would slightly stir and mumble out a few words. She was dreaming._

_He held her tightly while he thought to himself about their future._

"We're going to have a boy and a girl. Their names will be… I don't know. She can decide. I was never any good at naming people… If it were up to me, I probably would've been named "The Boy". We'll have a nice house with a nice white-picket fence and maybe a dog. They'll…"_he stopped thinking when she began to mumble out in her sleep._

_"_Nooooo! Stop! Don't leave me! You can't! Please! Come back!_" She mumbled out sleepily. Immediately-as if she couldn't bear the nightmare-ish dream any longer - her eyes shot open._

_Her head still lay on his chest, but she didn't look up. Her eyes were adjusting to the dim light of the room that only light by the moon. She tried to identify her surroundings. Where was she?_

_There was an arm around her, holding her protectively, she lying on top of someone. She wasn't dressed, either; neither was the person she was lying on top of.  Then it struck her. There was only one person that she would be in a likewise situation. He hadn't left her._

_"What's wrong?" he asked._

_"I had a dream. You left and you never came back. I found you once more but you didn't remember me. Then you left again. Tell me that won't happen. Please?" She asked, her head shifted to a position where she could look at him._

_"I promise, it won't happen. I love you too much for it to happen. I'll be with you, always. I'll never forget you." He said sincerely. He loved her beyond what words could tell. Then he told her sincerely for the first time, "I love you."   _

_All the other times he had said those three words, there was always an interruption. The timing was never right._

_"I love you too." She said as she kissed him passionately._

_***_

She ran to the car and locked herself in.  The poor guy was left on the porch, wondering what that was all about. 

Suddenly, a faint memory comes back to him. 

_"I'll never forget you."_

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

A/N: I like the word 'utopia'. It's a pretty word. Anyways, one of my friends told me that my chapters were way too long. Now I hope that it's not too short. Now, for the love of 'God', please review.


	11. Important Meetings

A/N: *Has completely recovered from being hit repeatedly with a fence **pickey by Sammy-Chan* Heh. I have one thing to say; if I write retardedly, it not my fault, it's Sam's.**

Disclaimer: I'm sick of writing these things. *Cuts to a scene of her holding a gun to the president of Squaresoft's head* Uh… Wrong scene *changes to one where she proudly holds the deeds to Squaresoft* Uh… Who's running the slide operator? *Sees her brothers playing with it and Photo Option Plus* Damnit! Oh well. It's hopeless now. Here, ya dragged it out of me: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII or it's characters.

**_~ 11: Important Meetings ~ _**

"Wait! Come back!" Old Chap yelled as he ran after her. Those words still playing over and over in his mind. Did he really say that?

Inside the car, she sobbed uncontrollably. Why did he do this to her? Why did he make promises he couldn't keep? She looked up when she heard someone knock the glass of the jeep. It was him.

"What do you want?" She asked aggressively.

"I want to know more about you. You are the only one I seem to remember. "

Just then, the doctor called Old Chap. "We better get going, we'll be late for that… Uh… _Physical_ I set up for you."

"Aren't you the ex-doctor? Can't we just take the physical here?" 

"No. I don't have the equipment that I need."

"All right," He said, and then turned to Rinoa, "Where can I find you? I want to know more about you, about me, about us."

"The Regent Hotel, room 639."

"All right."

The doctor called once more as he locked the door, "Let's go!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The doctor and the patient arrived at the abandoned factory at 12:01. They were late. He didn't take late well.

"Something tells me that I'm not here for a physical. Why'd you lie to me?" Old Chap asked.

"Because, I didn't think I could tell you in front of them… And I was right. They're SeeD. Except for the girl."

"Are we here to do something illegal?"

"Not us."

"Ah… Welcome. You're late, Fisher." An eerie voice said behind them.

"Oh. You haven't changed a bit, Sigfreed." The doctor said.

Old Chap looked at the two men and wondered how the doctor knew such a smartly dressed guy. Who wears a suit and tie on a Thursday when you're not even employed? Actually, who hangs out in an abandoned factory in the middle of the day?

"No need to look so confused, my slippery friend." Johnny said to Old Chap and eyed him suspiciously. Just then, Fisher leaned over and whispered something in Johnny's ear. After hearing such important information, Johnny dropped all his defenses. "I'm sorry. I seem to have… Mixed you up with… Someone I used to know…"

"Oh."

"Now, if you will just follow me, there are some people I'd like you to meet. Feel free to ask any questions that you may have… Just be sure of what they might cost you." Johnny said as he led them though the long passage.

At the end of the dusty passage stood two big, beefy men dressed in black. They stood in front of several clear slabs of clear plastic that were covered in grime from years of neglect. The two men shot the doctor and Old Chap a look of doubt. 

"Let them through; they were, after all, some of your old comrades." Johnny said.

The two men exchanged looks of doubt as they let Old Chap through. Past memories ran deep and always left some sort of mark on your memory. Old Chap's impressions were those that would last until these two men die.

Through the grimy plastic slabs were about ten men standing there, waiting patiently for their leader. They were the cream of the crop; the higher ranked men. They were all dressed casually, seeing as it was called for in the presence of their fearless leader… Or at least their _sometimes_ fearless leader.

Old Chap stared in awe; the men glared at him. Who did he think he was, walking in here like he was on top again? They couldn't stand the pricks that actually end up walking back in as if they hadn't committed high treason against the mob. They were the ones that could get away with murder. They could sleep with your wife and still be loved by everyone. They _kissed_ ass.

"Now, I'm going to be quite frank. Everyone who was already in here, you are to remain here after our two guests leave; I have important matters I wish to discuss with you." Johnny dictated, "As some of you may remember, here is one member of group that has been missing for the past few weeks. " Suddenly, he had a spasm; the voices in his head would not leave him alone. 

"AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!! GO AWAY!!!!!! LEAVE ME BE FOR JUST ONE MOMENT AND LET ME SORT THINGS OUT!!!!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU'D DO THIS TO ME!!!!!!" He roared. Old Chap and the good doctor flinched at his outburst; the men remained calm, knowing that this would all pass in a moment. 

"Yes. That's better. As I was saying, there is something that I would like our friend here to do, just to prove that he still has the edge. Tonight, I want you to kill a certain general's daughter. Here is the information that you will need. Should you succeed, welcome back. If not, don't bother showing your face in Dollet again." Johnny said as he gave Old Chap a thick envelope full of papers. When this guy did research, he didn't leave anything out. "Don't open it now; wait until you're alone in a private area. Do not discuss this with anyone, you hear me?"

Old Chap nodded his head 'yes'. He was confused, "Why do I have to kill her?"

"That, my friend, is explained in the papers in that envelope. You can leave now."

With those last words, two beefy men escorted the doctor and Old Chap out of the abandoned factory.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Upon seeing the two men leave, Johnny turned around to his jealous courtiers of the mob. 

"Ah, come on! Wipe that look off your faces. He doesn't remember who he is… And I want to take that to my advantage. In the end, he could end up taking over the political world without even knowing it. Think of it as a sort of hostile take-over. We will be living in high society without having to lift a finger to get there!" Johnny laughed.

The men eased up upon hearing this key element. Had this guy been able to remember, he would surely not be able to waltz back in here without getting a finger cut off.

"Are you telling me that that toothpick can't remember who he is and you're going to give him Project X?" MacFarley asked in shock.

"Not just anyone who can't remember who they are; but an ex-SeeD." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She sat in her room, waiting for him to come see her. She was expecting him to, at any minute, walk in there and break her heart once more without knowing it. Hyne, how did this happen? Why him?

A/N: Well, I wrote this chapter sooner than I expected. It's not that long, but I have to be able to sink some readers into the pits of my story.  Anyways, a couple of days ago, at twelve A.M., I came up with another story. However, I will not write and post that one up before I finish this story. BBYE! Wait!!!!!!! Before I forget, review right now or I will FedEx a bunch of fire ants to feast upon your body…. Or I might just pull an Indiana Jones thing and rip your heart out while you're still alive!!!!! Cruel and unusual deaths are not the way to go, so make me happy and review.


	12. Killing Me Softly

A/N: Tra la la la la. I'm in a very happy mood today. Writing for my life if something that I prefer not to do but… Ah, whatever. It doesn't matter. Anyways,  there's nothing like lunch while you write. So, on with the story!

Disclaimer: If we wrote one at the beginning, why do we have to write one every chapter? So, how's about this one: I DO own FF8! Nah, I'm dreaming. Forget it; I don't own FF8 or it's characters. So sue me if I write about them (don't)! You'll never find me, so you can't sue me!!!!!!!!!

**_~ 12: Killing Me Softly ~_**

Following Johnny's directions, Old Chap opened the envelope in his room at the doctor's house. The door was shut. He couldn't believe that his first friend that he could remember was an ex-mobster. How did he get mixed up in these things?

Old Chap looked through the package, amazed with what he saw. A lot of it's contents were familiar to him.  Old fighting techniques, various ways to murder someone- cleanly or messy-, ways to break into a room or building, - noisy or quietly- and who he was supposed to kill and some background info. 

The fighting techniques caught his attention first. There were various techniques that he remembered very clearly, like the roundhouse kick and the good ol' One-Two punch. These were some things that he knew how to do without looking at the diagrams.  Others caught his eye but they were pretty useless. Who was going to attack him with a battering ram?

He looked at the various ways to infiltrate a closed off area… But saw that they were quite boring. The ways to kill someone was nothing new. He knew all this already, but where from; he didn't know.

Next he looked at the papers on the girl he was supposed to kill. There was a picture, vital information and a whole lot of miscellaneous facts about her. The picture was in black and white, but that didn't stop him from being able to identify the girl in the picture. His heart was racing and his mind went blank; he can't do it.

Quickly, he gathered all the envelope's contents and shoved them back in the paper folder. Tossing them under the bed for the time being, he ran out his room and out the house. The doctor was not home: he had gone out for a walk. He left the house in a hurry, leaving a note saying that e had left for some air.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rinoa sat quietly on her bed daydreaming about how life used to be.  She was snapped out of her dreams by a very loud knock at her door.

"Coming!" she called as she ran to the door. Opening the door, she smiled at her puffing visitor. There was a very unusual panicked air about him. 

"I… Need… To… Know… About… How… I… Used… To… Be." He puffed.

"Well, you want to come in first?" Rinoa asked. The man looked up and nodded, entering the room. He took a seat on the couch and let Rinoa continue.

"Well, what is it that you _don't_ know?"

"Everything."

"Well, firstly, your name is Squall Leonheart and you're a SeeD…" She said as she stared out the window behind him, "A pretty good one at that. You and I, we met when I hired SeeD to… Well, never mind. That's not really important." She looked at him in the eyes and saw that he was confused.

"What do you mean I was a SeeD?" Squall asked.

"SeeD… You know… Mercenary for hire… There really isn't much to explain about it. You went to Garden at a very young age… You were an orphan… Doesn't any of this sound familiar to you?" She asked. She was getting really concerned. Did his pas really not affect him?

Squall suddenly lowered his head and a searing pain began to take over his mind. He was remembering.

An orphanage in Centra… other kids there… His age. Happy kids… All the children playing with one another. Some played Tag while others opted for Hide and Seek. 

_The next memory took him to a tower in… Somewhere. He couldn't place it but he was yelling out orders and there was something in his hand… Something heavy… A gunblade. _

_Another flash brought him to a picnic in a desolate area. They were under a tree lying down on a blanket. The sky was blue and there wasn't a cloud in sight. They were talking about things like their past and their friends. Then he pulled something out of his pocket and gave it to her. A simple ring with a couple words inscribed on it. What were they? Did he come up with those words? Where had he bought it?_

_'The circle of trust' what did that have to do with anything?_

The flashes subsided and he looked at Rinoa with confusion.

"Do you still have a ring that I gave you? The one with the words on it? The circle of trust?" He asked her. 

She was taken aback. How did he remember that ring? Why wouldn't she have it?

"Of course I do. It's here." She said as she pointed at her chain. It dangled there with two others. She continued, "You gave it to me. It's a promise ring… And I did keep my promise."

"All right. I have to go now. Fisher will be expecting me. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." Squall said as he got up and went to the door. "Bye!" he called back before he shut it behind him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The night came quickly that day and the moon hung low, silently watching the sleeping city. The stars hung up above, casting their fate on the unsuspecting citizens.

Squall walked through the streets as if he belonged there. Clad in black pants and a sweatshirt, he slowly made his way to the hotel in which she was staying. He did not want to do this, but as he went through the package once more before he left, there was a note that read:

_Either way, she dies. Be it horrible and painful or quick and painless, she doesn't live to see tomorrow._

How can anyone be so cruel? There had to be a better way. This wasn't happening to him. He tried to come up with a plan in his head… But he fell short. 

Squall's hand griped the syringe that was in his pocket. He really didn't want to do this.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cloaked by the darkness of the alleyways, a tall figure watched as Squall walked down the street. He was there to make sure that things went off without a hitch. One could identify this tall brawny figure as MacFarley.

Surely, Johnny must have been desperate because as soon as Squall turned the corner, MacFarley lost him. 

Not wanting to get in trouble, MacFarley went to look for him but gave up after an hour due to the fact that he was really tired. 

In his mind, he had repeated to himself so many times that Squall did kill the girl that actually believed it.

He walked around like a zombie for a few minutes before he arrived home and crashed on his bed, falling into a deep sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N: Anyways, here is the 12th chapter. *Sniff* I'm going to miss writing Old Chap… Not really, but I'm going for the whole 'nostalgia' thing. Oh well. Review as always! Oh! And ideas are appreciated. I mean, yeah, I do have an end, but I need the stuff that goes in between. Help, please? Nah. Never mind! But review! Over and Out!


	13. I Don't Want To Kill You But

A/N: So I seem to still not own FF8 or it's characters.. That doesn't mean that the creative juices won't flow… So, screw you if you sue me for having a sudden wake-up call at two A.M. with an idea. I didn't choose to wake-up with an idea. So, *gives them the one-gun salute*

**_~ 13: I Don't Want To Kill You But… ~_**

Squall ran to the front doors of the hotel. Silently, he opened the door, trying desperately to not disturb the reception. Silently, he walked across the floor like he belonged there. The people at reception had seen him earlier and assumed that he was just going to pick up one of the guests to go clubbing. Hey, it was late… You can't blame them for having such ludicrous thoughts. Squall pushed the up button and waited for the elevator. While he waited, an elderly couple approached him and gasped. He had returned! He isn't going to do something like that again, is he? And where is his blond companion? Surely the mischievous duo wouldn't be back for more, were they? Wasn't cherry-bombing the pool enough? The couple quickly left the hotel. Squall ignored the couple and got on the elevator once it had arrived. His nerves were in a frenzy, his palms were sweating and his stomach was in knots. How was he supposed to do this? Surely Johnny didn't think that he would be able to forget the past love of his life… _Past love of his life? Where did that come from?_ Squall couldn't dwell on it any longer because the elevator had arrived to the sixth, revealing what he was up against. An empty hallway? It wasn't much of an adversary, but it was sufficient enough to torment him under the given circumstances. He didn't think that he was the killing sort, but after that brief flip through the papers and having previously known about the multiple ways of killing someone was beginning to make him think otherwise. He did not have control over his limbs, mainly his legs. They began to walk down the hall automatically, not requiring the order from his brain. They stopped directly in front of room 639. 

His arms didn't seem to obey him either as they emerged from his pockets with a keycard to room 639. How did he get it? Where did it come from? Did it matter? Not at this specific moment. His arms seemed to have a mind of their own as they approached the card slot and plunged the card into the card slot.

The green light flashed once and Squall took the card out and entered the room. In the center or the room was a double bed where lay Rinoa. 

Squall took the syringe out and pulled the base back, letting it aspire the air. It would be quick and painless. She won't feel a thing and it might not look like a murder at all. Plus, there was a chance that it might not even work.

Hr approached the sleeping figure, unsuspecting of what would happen next.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_She lay asleep in her bed, seeing it like her soul had managed to astro-project out of her body. A silver cord attached at her navel kept her linked to her corpse. Hovering above her body, waiting for something to happen._

_Then it happened. Someone stuck a key card in her door and opened. The person entered her room, almost as if he didn't want to be there._

_She squinted her eyes, trying to decipher who had entered her room. Who ever it was removed a syringe from his pocket and drew back the base, letting the air rush in the hollow cylinder. He looked at her sleeping form once more and this time she managed to figure out who it was. He wouldn't, would he?_

It couldn't be Squall.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*

Her eyes shot open, terminating her dream. It wasn't a dream. He was actually standing above her, moonlight reflecting off his features. 

She watched as he lowered himself to her, ready to inject the air into her bloodstream. 

Suddenly, a newfound urge took over her and she sat up into a seated position and grabbed his shirt collar. She pulled him down so that his face was just centimeters away, feeling his breath on her cheeks. He had a really confused look in his eyes and waited in anticipation to see what she would do next.

"Don't." She simply said before she kissed him. Feelings that were far from extinct arose within her as she kissed him feverishly. She couldn't stop attacking him; it had been so long since she had last kissed him. Three weeks to be exact… And he wasn't resisting either. 

After finally running out of oxygen, they broke it off, staring intently into each other's eyes.

"Why did you do that? How did you know I was here?" The questions came flooding out of his mouth, swallowing her with her quest for the answers deep within her mind.

"Wow, cowboy. Stop with the questions." She said before she continued, "I did that because the memories from way back when taunted me to do so. I haven't kissed you since three weeks ago and there wasn't much that I could do to stop myself from doing it. Besides, you didn't seem to hate the idea, either. But how I knew you were here is still quite odd for that matter. I had a dream right before I woke up and I was outside my body. It was weird."

"Oh." He said, "Well, I need a favor from you."

She looked at him, her eyes telling him to carry on.

"I need you to stay in this room until I call you to tell you to come out." He said, looking deeply into her eyes, pleading that she would do as he had asked her to.

"Why?" was the only word that escaped her lips.

"Because, the reason that I'm here right now is that I was supposed to kill you. I was told to do so by a mob leader, Johnny The Piranha. Please, tell me that you'll do so… Or could you please leave and go back home?" He asked her sincerely. He didn't want her to die.

"Then you have to promise to return to me. To come back for me. To leave these men who have taken advantage of your current state." She said.

"I promise… Or at least I'll die trying." He promised.

"All right. I won't leave until you tell me it's safe again." She whispered, drawing herself closer to him.

"Thank you." He whispered in her ear. He kissed this time and with a little less fever than before, but a lot more love in it.

Needless to say, he did not return home that night.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The break of dawn is one of nature's wonders. The birds only start to wake up at that time of the day and search about for food for their offspring. The sleeping cities wake up at that time, ready to start another workday. 

The doctor woke up to the sound of the phone ringing, a short conversation on the phone before he hung up. He went to the kitchen and popped in four pieces of toast into the toaster and turned on the coffee machine. 

He then proceeded to Squall's room, knocking on the door to wake him up.

"Come on, big guy, time to wake up. I know you had a mission to accomplish last night, but Johnny beckons for our presence in half an hour." Fisher called from one side of the door.

When he didn't hear anything from the other side, he only yelled more, "Come on! Wake up, sleepy head!"

Still nothing.

Losing patience, Fisher opened the door, not caring if his patient slept in the nude or not.  The sight before him sent him into a complete state of panic. There was no one in the bed. He wasn't home. Where was he?

_Oh dear Hyne! _Thought Fisher _Johnny's going to kill the both of us! Where is he? Why did he have to pick today to pull an all-nighter somewhere? Damn! I should have a tracking device on that guy!_

He ran to the kitchen when he heard the toast pop. Pulling the peanut butter out, he spread the thick, sticky substance across his toast hurriedly.

He got dressed and ran out the door; toast in his mouth and completely forgetting about his coffee.

_I have to go find him!_ He thought.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N: Well, I wrote this a couple days ago. Sorry for the delay. Review.


	14. Now See, Where The Hell Are You and Wher...

A/N: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know it's been a pretty long time since I updated. What can I say? I've been busy. I went to see movies, plays, performed in school shit and 'homework'. Anyways, on with the story!

**_14: Now See, Where The Hell Are You And Where Have You Been? And Why Do You Smell Like Shampoo?_**

**__**

**__**

**__**

It was 7:30 A.M. when the phone rang. There was only one person in the house and there was only one option: answer it. There was a reason as to why answer the phone at 7:39 A.M. when every other sane man would let the answering machine get it: since none of his patients would call so early, it had to be Johnny or one of his thugs.

"Hello?" The sleepy man answered the phone.

"Get the SeeD over here pronto." The voice on the end of the line ordered harshly into the receiver with a tone of superiority.

The line was cut before the good doctor could reply.

Fisher quickly dashed to his Old Chap's room and knocked on the door. To his surprise, there was no reply within the guest chamber; not even a snore or the sound of a man turning in response to the noise... Not even a groan.

Curious, Fisher opened the door cautiously and poked his head through the space between the door and the frame. To his surprise, the bed was made and the room was unoccupied. The brown haired, blue-eyed SeeD was nowhere to be seen.

Panicked, he ran out of the room, ran out the front door, locking the door hastily and sprinted down the stairs, looking down the street both ways, expecting to see the brown-haired man walking towards him; but he was nowhere to be seen. He ran down towards the street towards the hotel, passing a park. To what did his eyes did see but a tall brown haired man! If anyone could say that they knew how happy Fisher was at that precise moment they would be lying. 

"SQUALL!!" The old man called urgently across the park, causing the the bystanders in the park to look up from what they were doing and observe the scene before going back to their previous affair.

Squall, however, did not notice. He continued on his merry way and walked in the direction of Fisher's home.

Annoyed, Fisher tried again, "SQUALL! I SWEAR TO GOD! IF YOU IGNORE ME AGAIN AND CONTINUE TO WALK ON, I WON'T HELP YOU AND I WILL KICK YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE! MEMORY OR NONE!!!!" Fisher threatened and this time, Squall did turn around and looked in Fisher's direction, astonished to see the man up at this early hour. 

Squall knew very well that Fisher was the type of person that valued his sleep and could sleep in until two in the afternoon if he didn't have his patients to take care of. He also knew that if Fisher was woken up at a very early hour, the grizzly of a man deep down would take the opportunity to lash out at the unsuspecting man who had woken him up. It was a fate that was one would not unleash on even one's worst enemy.

Seeing the worried man walk over to him, Squall quickened his pace and power-walked towards the man through the crowd that he was once walking with. He ignored the stares the people gave him for dressing completely in black and the fact that the dark material was absorbing the sunlight.

"Squall," Fisher panted. He was clearly out of shape and desperately needed to get rid of the belly that he had developed. "Where have the Hell have yo been?" The doctor interrogated as he stood on his tiptoes and barely an inch away from the young man's face to give him a more imposing look and added, as if in an afterthought, "And why do you smell like shampoo?"

"Hey! Calm down buddy. You'll have heart attack; you said it yourself that you have five out of ten." Squall put his hands on the inquiring man's shoulders and pushed him back to his regular height.

"You still didn't answer my questions." Fisher replied, annoyed at Old Chap's antics and attempt to change the subject.

"Well, um... Is there a reason why you're up so early?" Squall asked tentatively.

"Yes. Johnny called. He wants us over there ASAP. Now answer my question." Fisher was feeling very irritated at that precise moment and told himself that it was way to early in the morning to feel like killing someone.

"Why does he want to see us this early?" Squall square-danced around the question. He knew that at any moment the doctor's patience would give way soon but when he did not know.

But he didn't have to wait too long for it.

"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?!! NOW ANSWER MY QUESTION!!!"

"Alright. All right. Why don't we start to walk towards that crap place to meet and I'll tell you the details on the way there?" Squall suggested timidly.

"I'd say that that was one of the best ideas you ever had in your current state of memory." Fisher seethed through clenched teeth.

"Okay. Good. So, which way is the factory in?" Squall asked innocently. To say that he was pushing his luck was an understatement. He was hanging by a thread off a cliff and he knew it.

"That way." Fisher said, pointing in the opposite direction of the house.

"Hmm… Looks like a good start. Have a good night last night?"

"Yes. I slept and slept and slept until I got a call from a thug this morning. Now, will you please answer my questions?" Fisher replied, thinking of the various ways to kill the man beside him with his bare hands.

"Um... Refresh my memory: which ones again?" Squall acted like he could not remember anymore.

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU? WHY DO YOU," he shouted then added the rest just barely above a whisper, "smell like shampoo?"

"What's that doc? I didn't get that last part." Squall acted all innocent, but really, on the inside, he was laughing so hard that he was having trouble making sure that he didn't walk into any poles or street lamps.

"Why do you smell like shampoo?" the doctor asked irritated beyond belief. He was beginning to think it a curse that those two fishermen had brought this idiot of a man in from sea. 

"Oh. Um, we-ll," he stretched the word for full use as Fisher stared at him anxiously as they waited for the street light to allow them to walk, "I spent the night in the park so as to not disturb your sleep raise suspicion." Squall answered the first question. He had thought the story that he was going to recite to Fisher carefully when he had woken up that morning.

"Oh. How considerate of you. And for the second..." Fisher pushed.

"Well, I was sent to kill a girl, you know that, and well, she had woken up and it got complicated. I, uh, bound her and gagged her and she fell in my arms... and that's when I did her in..." Squall was amazed at his ability to invent semi-decent stories on the spot.

"Uh huh... Sure. I get it." Fisher said opening the door to the abandoned factory.

In the time that Squall had taken to tell his story, they had walked all the way to the factory, passing the repulsive houses with their broken windows and the dingy storefronts around it. They passed the deserted alleyways that were pilled with garbage. Of all neighborhoods in Dollet, Johnny had to have picked the one that was given the shorter end of the stick. To Fisher, this choice of Johnny's made it seem ever more suspicious than if he had chosen a condo in the upper-end of the city.

"Oh. You're back. Didn't you die last night?" Gibson (one of the thugs that were in MacFarley's league) commented stupidly.

"Apparently not." Squall replied passively.

"Did you just speak back to me, punk?" Gibson demanded.

"No." Squall left it short and to the point.

"Are you trying to be a smartass?"

"No."

"You're starting to piss me off here with that obnoxious attitude of yours." Gibson sneered as he stepped in front of Squall, blocking his access to the hallway that led to the meeting room.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, punk. You walk in here with that high and mighty attitude of yours when you know very well that we could have killed you yesterday for what you had done. Oh, that right, poor little punkass doesn't remember a single thing from his shitty little life." Gibson taunted then clicked his tongue and said, "Sorry." with a smirk, never once moving from his post, blocking the amnesiac.

"You better move it, buddy." Squall said quietly.

"Or what? You're gunna try to kill me? With what? Your gunblade? What a joke! Like we'd actually let you keep that!" Gibson guffawed.

"No, but come to think of it, where is it?" Squall asked rhetorically, attempting to squeeze his way through between the doorman and the doorframe but failing miserably.

"On the fourth floor, in the vault, behind the big chair behind the boss's desk." Gibson stupidly gave away, only realizing it after Squall had tried again and succeeded and waved "Thanks".

A/N: And this is where you write me a review, scrutinizing my tardiness and lack of commitment and for constructing the image that I had completely abandoned the story. In fact, my dear friends, I had lost time (to what, I'm not too sure of,) doing stuff that I wanted, had to and didn't want to do. Right. So I'm lying. But um… I **did **update. You can't attack me or burn down my house. Anyways, do the nice thing and write me a nice review. At this point, I know that I deserve flames due to tardiness and for my shitty writing… THAT'S WHY I'M TAKING A CREATIVE WRITING COURSE!!!!!!!!! Anyways, push the little mauve button that says 'Go'!


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